Drexel says its win in one of the biggest Regattas has fueled a whole new crop of interested recruits
With monster wins in college rowing's signature event, here's how Drexel's program is reaping the rewards of success.
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Drexel discovered the best way to entice future rowing recruits is to put its best foot forward in one of the biggest races on the college rowing circuit.
Earlier this month, both men’s and women’s Drexel rowing programs won big in the varsity 8+ categories of the annual Head of the Charles Regatta. For the women, the victory was the first in program history, while the men’s team celebrated its first win in the event since 2013.
In the aftermath of both wins, interest from eager recruits has skyrocketed, according to head coach Paul Savell.
“It was really our space in Boston,” Savell told The Inquirer. “We were bombarded with recruits wanting to talk to us after the wins, and since then [we’ve] been loaded with recruiting calls and emails. It never hurts to win, that’s for sure. Winning helps with recruiting the next level of rowers.”
With his current corps, Savell explained that the win at one of the most prestigious regattas was a result of all their hard work leading up to the event, most notably, the women’s program. Drexel’s women finished with a time of 16 minutes, 27.9 seconds, two seconds faster than second-place finisher Radcliffe and almost five seconds in front of Yale.
Both the men’s and the women’s teams will be back this weekend competing in the Head of the Schuykill Regatta. Drexel will then end its season at the Princeton Chase on Nov. 6.
“They have a great training plan,” Savell said. “We have Asiya Mahmud who has coached for the U.S. National Team, and she’s been leading their workouts a lot. I think this helped them get really well prepared. You’re always hoping to get the victory, but until the numbers come out you’re just not sure. They felt like they had a really great race, and when they saw they won, they were just so excited.”
As for the legacy of Drexel women’s rowing, we asked if this is just the beginning of what’s to come from the program.
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“Of course, it is,” Savell continued. “This is a [bullet] point on the legacy and the historical timeline of Drexel rowing. It feels great and we are really proud of all the students and the coaching staff. Our hard work was put on display on a national stage.”
For Drexel’s men’s program, its varsity 8+ victory with a time of 14 minutes, 20.49 seconds marked the first since 2013.
“They went in with a purpose, they went in knowing that’s what they wanted to accomplish,” Savell said. “They [finished] second last year and needed to get past MIT this year, that was on their mind the whole way. They set out what they wanted to do and they achieved it.”
With energy high and people starting to notice the work the Dragons have put in, call this a season to remember.
“There is a lot of momentum, and it really helps to create more good energy across the board and across the program,” Savell said. “There are a lot of good things happening at Drexel Athletics. We love our boat house, and we love our outstanding athletic department.”