Chris Henderson pumped his fist and splashed the water along his boat as Drexel picked up a silver medal in the men’s varsity eight final.
That would be one of five silvers on the day to go along with two gold medals en route to Drexel’s fourth consecutive overall team championship at the Dad Vail Regatta along the Schuylkill River on Saturday. Drexel men and women both finished second in their respective overall team standings. The University of Michigan had the top score on the men’s side while the University of Massachusetts sat atop the women’s overall.
The 45 points earned by Drexel topped their school record set at last year’s competition (44).
This was the 78th installment of the event.
“The atmosphere is awesome every year in front of your home crowd,” Henderson said. “It doesn’t get old.”
Winning certainly doesn’t get old for the Dragons. Their two first-place finishes came in the men’s second varsity eight final and the men’s freshman eight final. Along with their varsity eight final, Drexel also finished second in women’s varsity eight, women’s second varsity eight, women’s varsity four, and the men’s third varsity eight.
The collective effort speaks to how well-rounded head coach Paul Savell’s club has become. Since winning their first ever Dad Vail Regatta in 2013, the Dragons have continued to make strides forward. Savell is very proud of how many boats qualified at this year’s event. Drexel sent all 14 of their boats to Day 2 and 11 went on to the finals.
“This was the best depth we’ve had with 11 boats reaching the finals and seven medaling,” Savell said. “That was the most medals we’ve brought home for Dad Vail.
“We were pretty psyched about getting that many boats in.”
“We were working so hard,” Henderson said. “It shows the depth on our team. We have competition among our team. We’re not just worried about the first or second boats, it’s a team-wide thing.”
Temple had three teams make the finals with one of their boats taking the bronze in the men’s varsity eight. That was their first time medaling in the event at the Dad Vail Regatta. The other two boats finished sixth in both the men’s freshman eight and the men’s second varsity eight.
The day was even more special for Temple head coach Gavin Wright, who coached his final race after 37 years in charge of the Owls’ crew program.
“He was a role model for so many coaches and athletes,” Savell said. “It was tough to see that this was his last race. He’s meant a lot to our sport.”
Delaware earned two medals, one being a silver in the women’s freshman eight. Saint Joseph’s took bronze in the third varsity eight.
The highlight, though, was Drexel extending its Dad Vail dynasty to four years in a row and giving the home crowd plenty to cheer about.
“It’s only blocks from our campus so it’s a big deal for our team,” Savell said. “We get a great turnout from parents to the alumni, our president comes out and athletic director. The rowers know it. It’s on our home course so it’s important for us.”