McGill women win battle but Queen’s wins Challenge

By Earl Zukerman

LACHINE, Que. – It was a good day for the McGill University women’s crew but a bad day for the Redmen, as Queen’s won six of eight races at the 12th annual McGill-Queen’s Challenge Boat Race at the historic Lachine Canal, Sunday.

The annual competition is the Canadian version of England's Oxford-Cambridge and the U.S.A.'s annual Harvard-Yale races.

The Gaels took nine of 12 points to capture their fifth straight Lorne Gaels Challenge Cup as overall winners of the competition. They also claiming the men’s Challenge Blade trophy for a fifth straight year.

McGill won the women’s Challenge Cup with their varsity eight boat capturing both the 2.9-kilometre race and the 500-metre sprint.

The Martlets winning boat was composed of sophomore Mary McDonough of Rochester, N.Y., in the bow seat, followed by freshman Barbara Hamilton of Saskatoon, junior Jennifer Allan of Montreal, freshman Marie-Christine Razaire of Montclair, Vt., sophomore Mara Edelman of Boston, junior Sigourney Courtright of Calgary, sophomore Andrea Wilson of St. Lambert, Que., and senior Ulrika Drevniok of Gatineau, Que., in the stroke seat. The coxswain was Emily Kinsler, a freshman from Concord, N.H.

Queen’s captured the men’s varsity eight, men’s novice eight and women’s novice eight, each a 2.9 kilometre head race. They also took three of the four 500-metre sprints, winning the men’s varsity and novice categories, as well as the women’s novice sprint.

The Gaels now have earned eight out of 12 McGill-Queen’s Challenge Boat races.

The McGill men’s varsity eight crew included sophomore Jonathan Rinaldi of Notre Dame de Grace, Que., in the bow seat, followed by sophomore Brent Hopkins of Montreal, freshman Kirk Vilks of Pinawa, Man., senior Jordan Howard of Smiths Falls, Ont., sophomore Evan deJonghe of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., senior Travis O'Farrell of Unionville, Ont., senior Christian Dabrowski of Montreal and junior Jonathan Menivier of Laval in the stroke seat. The coxie was Tony Genna, a junior from Oakham, Mass.

Past Lorne Gales Challenge Cup Winners
-----------------------------------------------
2008 - Queen's
2007 - Queen's
2006 - Queen's
2005 - Queen's
2004 - Queen's
2003 - McGill
2002 - McGill
2001 - Queen's
2000 - Queen's
1999 - McGill
1998 - McGill
1997 - McGill

Past Men's Challenge Blade Winners
------------------------------------------
2008 - Queen's
2007 - Queen's
2006 - Queen's
2005 - Queen's
2004 - Queen's
2003 - McGill
2002 - McGill
2001 - Queen's
2000 - McGill
1999 - McGill
1998 - McGill

Past Women's Challenge Trophy Winners
-----------------------------------------------
2008 - McGill
2007 - Queen's
2006 - McGill
2005 - Queen's
2004 - Queen's
2003 - Queen's
2002 - Queen's
2001 - Queen's
2000 - Queen's
1999 – McGill