The Mills College crew team's Varsity four, Varsity eight and Novice four boats placed in their respective races second, third and fourth at the 23rd annual Blue Heron Redwood Sprints Regatta. In the regatta, which was held the weekend of March 25 at Humboldt State University, Mills competed against Humboldt, Seattle Pacific University, Willamette University, California Maritime University, Humboldt Bay Rowing Association and Ashland Rowing Association. According to Mills crew head coach Wendy Franklin, the Mills team had a great weekend and all boats raced hard and fast. She said the team showed great maturity and mental toughness when faced with adverse racing conditions that included rain, wind, cold temperatures and strong currents. The Varsity eight placed third out of six teams with a time of 7:22:64, the Varsity four placed 2nd out of 5 teams with a time of 10:00:37 and the Novice four placed 4th out of 5 teams with a time of 8:55:80. Mills placed third in overall team standings, which was the best finish Mills has ever had at the Heron Regatta.
The team traveled to Vancouver, WA last weekend to compete in the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference (NCRC) Invitational regatta. Teams from 16 schools competed in what Franklin described as "harsh weather conditions". The Varsity eight placed fifth in their race while rowing in waves that filled their boat with water. The Varsity four rowed in similar conditions and came in 4th place. Because the weather conditions caused two boats in the Varsity four race to sink, racing was suspended for the day. This included the Novice four race. "Given the adverse weather conditions, the team should take pride in how they handled the conditions and the cancellation of the races," Franklin said.
