The University of VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 womenB次元官网网址檚 rowing team successfully defended its national title in Burnaby on Nov. 11 and 12.

The Vikes women took gold at the 2023 Canadian University Rowing Championships as they edged out the host University of British ColumbiaB次元官网网址檚 club in the final race at the Burnaby Lake regatta.

Only three points separated the first-placed Vikes, UBC and QueenB次元官网网址檚 going into the final event, the womenB次元官网网址檚 eight race, which would decide the national championship.

The team of Sofie Hof, Danica Ariano, Maggie Hemphill, Nicole Cusack, Mikaela Holthuis, Belen Reed, Gabby Kieser, Sarah Stormont and Kaliya Javra crossed the line first to secure the Vikes women going back to back as Canadian champs.

The gold finish also marked the best race for UVic as Vikes rowers reached the podium in five out of six medal races.

Cusack and Holthuis also took silver in the womenB次元官网网址檚 pair event, while the duo of Sophia Regosa and Paige Letham rowed to bronze in the lightweight pair division.

UVic had two other silver finishes as Hemphill placed second in the womenB次元官网网址檚 single and the team of Regosa, Letham, Helen Ross, Elena Masyte and Sai Sai Faubert was the runner-up in the lightweight four-plus.

The womenB次元官网网址檚 program has now won 13 national titles, including two under head coach Jane Gumley, who earned coach of the year honours for the third-straight year.

On the menB次元官网网址檚 side, two medals helped the Vikes place third overall. Giancarlo DiPompeo captured gold in the lightweight menB次元官网网址檚 single race, while the menB次元官网网址檚 eight-plus boat added a silver. That team included Nicholas Murray-Coplen, Spencer Lewis, Quinn Storey, Connor Attridge, Kai Bartel, Michael Caryk, Victor Lefebvre, Aidan Carr and Jesse Harold.

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