The 2024 Head of the Housatonic will see some top American crews showdown in Shelton, Connecticut. A fall season opener for many teams, coaches will be eager to see how their crews stack up against some big names. Boats will race 2.6 miles up a fairly winding stretch of the Housatonic River, with each looking to set brisk times in head racing format.
St. Joseph’s Preparatory School
Coming off their bronze medal performance in the eight at the 2024 USRowing Youth National Championships, St. Joe’s will be looking to reestablish speed early on. Their varsity coxswain Michael Kain will likely feature, having spent the summer in the US junior men’s eight that won silver at the U19 World Rowing Championships. Along with other experienced returners, Michael and his crew will look to set a solid start to a new campaign.
RowAmerica Rye
The defending champions in the junior men’s eight, RowAmerica Rye finished almost a full length up on the field down at Sarasota this past June. Showcasing a stunning peak speed at USRowing Youth National Championships, no other crew is coming into the fall season with higher expectations. There is some uncertainty, however, as a couple of members of the winning boat have graduated. We can only wait and see what Rye has in store for this new season.
Greenwich Crew
Two-tenths of a second separated Greenwich Crew from Saint Joseph’s Preparatory in the preliminary USRowing Youth National Championships time trial this past June. A strong second-place in the semifinal sent Greenwich to the A-final, where the crew produced a sixth-placed finish. This analysis is straightforward; Greenwich will have pure vengeance in mind, and they will be fighting to reverse their USRowing Youth National Championships result against Saint Joe’s. Historically a strong crew in the fall, Greenwich’s dominant performances at the Head of The Charles serve as evidence to back a potential victory at the Housatonic this year.
Saugatuck Rowing Club
Placing seventh in the A-final at the 2024 USRowing Youth National Championships, Saugatuck Rowing Club is not out of place in this highly competitive field. Last season’s notable results include a second-place run down the Charles and a closing Henley Royal Regatta trip across the pond. Impressive form at HOCR saw Saugatuck edged out only by first-rate St. Paul’s School. Additionally, their trip to Henley Royal Regatta was short, yet sweet. After knocking out Hinksey Sculling School on day one, Saugatuck’s season ended on Wednesday in a tough battle against Shiplake College. A club experienced in high-level competition, Saugatuck will no doubt bring some fire to this head-style regatta.
Princeton National Rowing Association/Mercer
Mercer could be the dark horse in this junior men’s eight race. Returning to the event after a fourth-place finish in 2021, Mercer also come off a strong fifth-place at the USRowing Youth National Championships this past summer. In addition, their summer Henley Royal Regatta campaign saw them get to the Friday (quarter-finals), where they were finally knocked out by St. Paul’s. The crew will be led by coach Jamie Hamp, who worked with the US junior men’s coxed four this past summer. With a clear ability to develop fast crews, Jamie will look to his eight for a strong result at this fall opener.
Prediction
This one is a toss-up. On paper, St. Joe’s and RowAmerica Rye look to be favorites coming off impressive performances at the USRowing Youth National Championships. However, it is Saugatuck, Greenwich, and Mercer who traditionally perform well early in the season, as proven by their respective second, third, and fifth-placed finishes at the Head of The Charles in 2023. Honestly, it is anyone’s race but I believe Greenwich might take it. With tight margins over 2.6 miles, I predict Greenwich, St Joe’s, and Rye in that order. Then, Mercer over Saugatuck to round out the top five.
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