Despite fielding only eight rowers, well below the typical team size, the Brock Badgers women's rowing team powered their way to a fourth-place finish overall. 

 

The Badgers earned three medals over the two-day Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championships at Henley Island in Port Dalhousie on Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 25.  

 

"I'm incredibly proud of each and every person today," said head coach Katie Bruggeling. "Everyone stepped up and did incredible work. The spirit of the team is phenomenal and unmatched." 

 

Earning 178 points, the Badgers improved on their seventh-place result from a year ago, finishing 28 points behind the third-place Toronto Varsity Blues. 

 

"The best part about when this team is performing is when people are reaching down and elevating the rest of the group," said associate coach Mary Rao. "This is something universal across the Brock program this year." 

 

Jalyn Mowry and Teagan Orth won a gold medal in the women's double event in impressive fashion, finishing in a time of seven minutes, 28 seconds and 684 milliseconds, which was more than five seconds ahead of the second-place Guelph Gryphons. 

 

"We are all so proud of each other because we set a goal ahead of the race," Orth said. "It was to race our best race and stay tough and confident, and that's exactly what we did." 

 

The women's eight boat consisting of coxswain Haley Knott and crewmates Kristina Harris, Lila Lane, Ana Cumming, Genavieve Jopling, Jalyn Mowry, Teagan Orth, Isabella Durcak and Zoe Durcak crossed the finish line in a time of 6:48.034 to earn a silver medal. 

 

"It's really special having the women's eight compete for Brock today," Rao said. "It's been a while to have this depth of women in the program. I'm just really proud of how everyone worked together from both our veterans to the newer people to the team."

The last time the Badgers women's team sent an eight crew at the OUA Championships was in 2022, where they earned a bronze medal.

 

Rounding out the podium finishers are Zoe Durcak and Isabella Durcak, who placed third in the women's pair (7:22.362). 

 

Up next, the Badgers head to Montreal and the historic Olympic Basin, the site of the 1976 Summer Olympic Games, for the Canadian University Rowing Championships. The action runs from Saturday, Nov. 1 to Sunday, Nov. 2. 

 

Women's Athlete of the Year: Rosie O'Brien (Carleton) 

Women's Team Coach of the Year: Scott Feddery (Queen's) 

Women's Developmental Coach of the Year: Ian Dekker & Sarah Healey (Ottawa)
 

1 Queen's 543 

2 Western, 269 

3 Toronto, 206 

5 Ottawa, 134 

6 Guelph, 123 

7 Carleton, 119 

7 Trent, 119 

9 McMaster, 108 

10 McGill, 74 

11 Waterloo, 50 

12 Ontario Tech, 31 

13 Nipissing, 16 

14 RMC, 0 

 

1 Western, 7:16.629 

2 Queen's, 7:18.045 

 

2 Guelph, 7:34.651 

3 Queen's, 7:36.335 

 

1 Queen's, 6:42.121 

3 Ottawa, 6:53.796