SHELTON, Conn. —
The United States Coast Guard Academy men's rowing team opened their 2026 fall campaign over the weekend at the annual Head of the Housatonic regatta. The team traveled to Indian Wells State Park on a beautiful Saturday with great support from alumni and parents.
"The Hous" marked the first official races of the fall and for the Bears, as well as the first career races for the team's walk-on novices. Coast Guard saw thirty-five athletes take the water, with eleven rowers competing twice.The team fielded three eights in the collegiate non-IRA race, one eight in the collegiate novice race, and a four in the open and novice races.
First up were the collegiate eights. Starting third in a in the field of twenty-two boats was the "A" boat, who were able to hold position and finish in fifth place. "They had a solid performance, but they know they need a solid winter of training to move up to IRA level," says head coach Bill Randall. The 2V and 3V were in the same race, finishing 13th and 20th, respectively.
The 3V featured several novices in the boat, including freshmen Noah Bilow (Clarksburg, Md.), Zeb Chapman (Warwick, R.I.), and Cameron Ford (Colorado Springs, Colo.), each of whom pulled double-duty by rowing in the novice eight later in the day. The novice eight saw the rowing debuts of nine athletes, and it was a good way to start their rowing career. The boat started first and pulled away from everyone but Fairfield University to receive the silver medal.
The afternoon saw five seniors row in the open four, while the novice four featured four recruited freshman with sophomore coxswain Phoebe Jane Allred (Normandy Park, Wash.), who started coxing a month ago. The novice four provided the best finish of the day with a strong row that earned them a gold medal and an excellent team building race. Phoebe Jane noted, "Calling out 'Go Coast Guard!' towards the finish helped us dig deeper and row for not just ourselves, but our service."
Complete results are available here. Coast Guard men's rowing now turns their attention to the Head of the Charles regatta, where just the 2V will be racing next Saturday afternoon while the 1V will race on Sunday. The team will wrap up the fall season the following Saturday at the Wormtown Chase in Worchester, where the whole team will be in action.
After that, the team will move indoors to ergs, weights, circuits, and more in preparation for the 2027 spring campaign that will kick off with the "Return to the River" dinner on Saturday, February 20th, followed by the annual trip to Clemson.
