Conestoga Crew Makes Historic Return to Head of the Charles

Conestoga Crew/Tredyffrin Easttown Sculling Development made history this past weekend, sending boats for the first time in 20 years to compete at the 60th annual Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston. The Head of the Charles is the world’s largest three-day rowing competition, drawing more than 11,000 athletes, 2,000 boats, and 400,000 spectators from across the globe. This year’s regatta featured elite crews from across the United States as well as Canada, Europe, China, South Africa, and beyond.

Conestoga entered three boats, with all three competing against stacked, largely private school and club teams.

In the Men’s Youth Coxed Quad, Kaden Murray, Ethan Borst, Jack Sauder, and Hudson Dunkle were steered down the course by coxswain Will Simon. They finished an impressive 15th out of 51 entries, earning an automatic invitation back to the 2026 Head of the Charles. Even more notably, they were the only public-school crew in the nation to break into the top 20. For Simon, a sophomore, it was his first time ever coxing a boat, a remarkable debut given that the Head of the Charles is regarded as one of the most technically challenging courses in the world.

Coach Bailey Chick praised the crew’s preparation and execution, especially coxswain Will Simon’s composure on such a challenging course.

“I can’t say enough about how proud I am of this performance, the commitment and work ethic of the rowers in this line up is excellent, they’ve consistently made the changes and investment to gain speed all season and it paid off this weekend. Choosing a coxswain from a team that doesn’t have them on the roster I knew we needed an athlete who had extensive bowing (steering) experience but who was also going to do the research and preparation for the job. Will was the clear choice. HOCR is called a coxswain's race for a reason, Sunday was his third time in a coxswain’s seat ever and his decision making and preparation paid off, he went in knowing the most advantageous rout and executed the entire course beautifully. I can’t wait to bring Stoga/ TESD back in 2026 and build on this placement.”

In the Women’s Youth Singles, sophomore Maizy Jacobson showed extraordinary grit and courage in one of rowing’s toughest events. She was at the trailer before dawn preparing in the dark for her race. Facing a field dominated by private clubs and international athletes, Jacobson was one of the only public-school athletes in her entire event.

In the Women’s Youth Doubles, Emma Reiter and Toscane Franchet attacked the Charles’ sharp turns and crowded bridges with confidence. Against a deep field of private and international crews, their performance highlighted both their chemistry and Conestoga’s rising depth of talent and experience.

On the women’s side, the coaches were equally impressed with their rowers’ composure on one of rowing’s toughest courses. Coach Austin Burke highlighted the significance of the experience for Conestoga’s underclassmen:

"It was a successful weekend for the girls. For Maizy and Emma, it was their first head race of their young careers and to have that take place on The Charles is a feat of its own. The Charles is a tough course, and Toscane and Maizy navigated the course well, bowing their respective shells and showing speed and resilience that will carry over for the remainder head races on the Schuylkill this Fall. This weekend left the three of them wanting more and no doubt this experience will propel them to future success at HOCR and the regattas we have lined up through the end of next Spring.”

For Conestoga, this milestone appearance at the Head of the Charles was about more than results. The program joined the ranks of teams competing on rowing’s biggest international stage and proved they could hold its own against the best in the world.

The team is already back on the Schuylkill this week preparing for their next major challenge: the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta (HOSR), one of the largest regattas in the country. HOSR draws thousands of athletes and spectators to Philadelphia’s historic Boathouse Row each fall, and Conestoga will once again line up against a deep field right in their own backyard.

Looking ahead to the team’s next challenge, Head Coach Bailey Chick emphasized how valuable the momentum from Boston will be as Conestoga shifts focus back to Philadelphia for the HOSR: “After our first scheduled race was cancelled due to weather, I’m really excited to get the full team out on the water Sunday to test their speed and the work our athletes have put in. Seeing how we stack up regionally is going to be really informative. This team, on both the Men’s and Women’s side, has more depth and speed than it did last Fall and I’m looking forward to how that will translate on the water.”