FAIRFAX STATION, Va.  – The High Point University women's rowing team completed its fall season with its last regatta at the Head of the Occoquan on Saturday afternoon.
 
Head Coach Jessica Deitrick: "Today we wrapped up our fall season showing growth and progress from our first race at the beginning of the month. Each boat attacked their race plans and were able to come off the water feeling good about their performance.  We are looking forward to the next cycle in our training and want to BUILD upon what we started this fall."
 
Deitrick and staff sent out seven boats in today's race as multiple High Point boats saw top finishes in their heats. It started with a strong second-place finish in the Women's Collegiate Varsity 8+, clocking a time of 17:35.489. The Panthers, led by stroke Anna Venditti, trailed only Georgetown (17:19.725) and finished ahead of West Virginia (17:52.992) and Old Dominion (17:55.312) in a competitive 17-boat field.
 
The second race for the Panthers saw them place fourth in the Women's Collegiate JV 8+, finishing with a time of 18:34.996. Led by Aliyah Strickland at the stroke, the Panthers held steady throughout the race to finish just behind Duquesne (18:31.063) and ahead of West Virginia (19:07.989) in a deep field of 11 crews.
 
The HPU novice eight impressed with a second-place finish in the Women's Collegiate Novice 8+, posting a time of 20:19.599. Led by Hannah Grant, the Panthers were the top-finishing non-Duquesne crew, crossing the line just 52 seconds behind the Dukes' winning boat (19:27.228) and well ahead of the rest of the field.
 
Event 52 saw the HPU varsity four with a standout performance, capturing first and third place in the Women's Collegiate Varsity 4+. The top boat, led by Venditti the front, crossed the finish line in 18:55.825, more than 30 seconds ahead of second-place West Virginia (19:28.648), while the second HPU boat, led by Riley Verner finished third in 19:28.765 out of 22 total entries.
 
Rounding out the regatta, the JV 4+ delivered a strong showing, taking second and sixth place in the Women's Collegiate JV 4+. The top HPU boat, saw Caitlin Enright up front, finished just 2.5 second behind Duquesne in 20.27.718, while the second boat, led by Cate Ward, crossed the line in 21:24.716 in a 14-crew race.
 
High Point completed the three race fall season on a high note with a full speed of momentum heading into the championship season in the spring.