The Brock Badgers captured their first rowing championship banner in four years.

The men's rowing team won the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Rowing Championship title at the Welland International Flatwater Course on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Brock collected 537 points to overcome Western (364) and Queen's (278).

The Brock women's side placed third with 269 points behind first-place Western (442) and second-place Queen's (324).

"To have the banner back in our hands and hung up in Bob Davis Gym is a big deal for this group, who has poured blood, sweat and tears into this sport," said Sam Stewart, a third-year History student. "This will be a benchmark for a lot of our rowing careers."

In 10 races, the Brock men's team won five gold medals, three silver and a bronze.

The Brock rowing team persevered through the COVID-19 pandemic to reach this point. The off-season was unlike any other as Brock rowers began training alone in their basements or garages to return to the water in singles eventually.

"It's been a lot of ups and downs. In the beginning, we were only communicating with them. We didn't even see them until Zoom calls," said lightweight men's coach Tom Kent. "They were training in whatever space they could find in their house. We had several leaders who set a standard for everybody, and they pushed everyone to do their best."

Head coach Peter Somerwil gave everyone on the team an erg to take home before the Badgers were cleared to return to Henley Island. However, the Brock crews were limited to training in single sculls before COVID-19 protocols allowed them to row together in doubles, fours or eights.

"A lot of this result was seeing the potential in the student-athletes. They worked hard through the winter," said open men's coach Scott Anderson. "As we entered the season, we looked forward to making it all come together. We often talk about having good clay to mould, and I think we did."

Thomas Markewich captured Brock's first gold medal of the afternoon with a first-place finish in the men's lightweight single. Markewich posted a time of seven minutes and 49 seconds to outlast Guelph (8:00) and Carleton (8:10).

Markewich and Connor Dodds teamed up to win gold (7:17.72) in the men's lightweight double by fractions of a second over Queen's (7:17.92).

Olivia Jose, Rowan O'Neill, Jordan Isnor, Zoe Durcak and coxswain Pilar Dietrich claimed a gold medal (7:45) in the women's lightweight four (4+) to overcome Queen's (7:48).

The men's lightweight eight won gold (6:18) to defeat Western by five seconds. The crew consists of bow Tony DiDomenico, Chris Gomez, Benjamin Hersche, Connor Dodds, Samuel Maconco, Stephen Harris, Jared Boles, stroke Jonathan Cinquina and coxswain Riley Pisek.

Cinquina, Maconco, Harris, Boles and Pisek then combined to win their second gold medal (6:49) in the men's lightweight four (4+). They narrowly defeated Western by less than a second.

The Brock men's four (4+) of Stewart, Michael Ciepiela, Daniel Brophy, William Bryden and coxswain Clara Sebastianelli snagged gold (6:52) with a seven-second margin of victory over Western.

Stewart, who served as stroke, Ciepiela, Brophy, Bryden and Sebastianelli won a silver medal (6:13) in the men's eight (8+) with Jacob Martens, Keithan Woodhouse, Jonathan Hickman and bow Kevin Keith. Queen's finished first (6:09).

The women's lightweight eight of Jose (stroke), Alicia Piazza, Madeline Hingston, Zoe Durcak, Isnor, O'Neill, Isabella Durcak, bow Laci Schute and Dietrich (coxswain) took silver (7:20) versus first-place Western (7:05).

Hingston and Schute teamed up to win a silver medal (8:38) in the women's lightweight pair behind Queen's (8:31).

DiDomenico and Chris Gomez secured a silver (7:43) less than a second behind Western in the men's lightweight pair.

The men's double of Martens and Oskars Rugelis took silver (7:10) just two seconds behind Queen's.

The men's pair of Hickman and Woodhouse brought home bronze (7:30.44).