by Dave Archer (this article first appeared in The Ram) Halfway through the Women??s Rowing fall season, head coach Ted Bonanno, for good reason, is proud of his team. For the first time in Bonanno??s 16 years of coaching at Fordham, the women??s team has won three consecutive head races. ??Obviously I??m very proud of how the women have been doing,?? he said. The season jump-started quickly on September 24th with the Head of the Harlem, an interesting beginning, according to Bonanno. Typically the team would not compete so early into the season, had the race been held in Boston or Philadelphia, but conveniently the regatta took place on the team??s practice course, the Harlem River. ??It??s the first time the race has been held,?? said Bonanno. ??It was reasonably well-run, nice regatta for the early season.?? The race was put together by the Peter J. Sharp Foundation, the same group responsible for Manhattan College??s new boathouse, built on the Harlem side of the river. ??The weather was pretty rotten,?? said senior co-captain Caitlin Morrison, rowing in the second varsity four, early in the morning. ??The water was pretty choppy, and there was a strong current,?? she said. The conditions weighed somewhat on the crews but Fordham pulled ahead, in both the eight and four races. The first varsity eight started out first, maintaining the lead for the whole race, while the second eight began third in line, and wound up walking past Sacred Heart quickly, within the first 1,000 to 1,500 meters, according to co-captain Emily Pressler. ??The team completely dominated that race,?? said Bonanno. The following weekend, the top two varsity eight crews traveled to Bucknell University, for a head race at the Shamokin Dam, against the home team as well as Lehigh. It was a significant race for the women because from the previous spring season, no Fordham women??s rower had beaten a team from Bucknell. Fordham??s varsity and novice teams were both beaten by Bucknell at the Dad Vail Regatta. ??Because of what had happened in the spring, that race looked to be very competitive,?? said Bonanno. What was also interesting about the race was that it was not a typical head race format, in which boats are staggered from the starting line. It was setup as a sprint-style race, where every crew in each heat lines up at the same time, and races next to each other throughout the course. ??We had an excellent start off the line at about 40 strokes per minute,?? said Bonanno. ??For the first 1,000 or so meters it looked like it would be a very close race, but once the girls settled down into their race cadence, the varsity took control.?? ??It was great payback to beat them at their home course,?? said Morrison, ??since they beat us in the spring last year.?? The most competitive race thus far was the Head of the Connecticut Regatta, on the Connecticut River, Columbus Day weekend. Before the women got prepared to launch, Bonanno told them that no other Fordham team, during his time with them, men or women, had won three straight head races in the fall. The talk was apparently solid motivation as the women took that honor by the finish line. The conditions were awful, with strong winds, rain, and cold air, throughout the day. The first and second eight raced in the morning, taking first and fourth places, with the Coast Guard Academy, and Boston-based club team, Community Rowing, winning the second and third place medals. ??The Head of the Connecticut is just under the Head of the Schuylkill competition wise, but it was still really competitive,?? said Bonanno. The coach decided not to use all of his top rowers for the two eights, but instead had Morrison and Maureen Regan placed in the varsity four, to strengthen the chances for a victory in that race as well. Unfortunately, as the weather conditions worsened, and debris from the riverbanks continued to pile up in the river, the varsity four did not compete. The novice four, however, had the same fortune as the varsity eight, and took home a first-place finish. Fordham was able to leave the race course with heads held high, as they not only set a fall record, but also achieved for the first time, entering in two races at the Head of the Connecticut, and finishing in first place in both. The varsity women who achieved the third victory of the season included at stroke, Sarah Lang, Jenna Schlosbon, Catherine Mascia, Catherine Guisao, Lauren Dickerson, Elise Stern, Lauren Lewis, and Jeanette McDonald in bow seat. The women have their toughest race coming up next weekend in Boston, with the Head of the Charles, which will include some of the best crews from around the world. ??Out of the top 25 collegiate women??s rowing programs in the country, virtually all will be racing at the Charles,?? said Bonanno. ??Our goal isn??t to win next weekend, but just to see how we stack up against some of the best teams out there.?? Pressler and Morrison agree with their coach about the high level of competition they will be facing in Boston, but do have some goals for the race. ??I would like to beat Columbia again, for bragging rights on the Harlem,?? said Pressler. ??It would be nice to do that our senior year.?? This year??s women??s team is no question stronger than it was last year, which Bonanno attributes largely in part to the amount of strong sophomores on the team. ??In the first varsity eight at the Connecticut, six of the rowers were sophomores,?? said Bonanno. ??The majority of the team is sophomores, they??re very good, and that is why we??re doing so well.?? ??The team this year has more than one person to be a leader, and everyone seems to be getting along very well together,?? said Pressler. Morrison added, ??We??ve been doing very well so far, I definitely see us continuing to do so in the upcoming races.??