Illini Battle Weather and Crews in Rockford

The Fighting Illini continued their Double Header Fall Weekend in Rockford, IL on Sunday at the Head of the Rock Regatta. The weekend weather, consisting of heavy rains and storms, did not let up for Sunday's racing. The Fighting Illini first took to the water in the 2nd Novice Women's 4+ where an early equipment failure left their shell hobbling to the finish line - they finished a disappointing 9th of 10. The Novice Men's 8+, coming off their gold medal performance the day before, came in 5th of 19 behind two crews from University of Michigan and two crews from University of Minnesota. The Novice Men, who were a mere 4.33% off the winning time, bested Michigan State after falling to them last year. The 2nd Varsity Men's 4+ rowed a clean race, but the Double Header proved tiring as they slipped to 15th of 21. The Varsity Women's 4+ came 24 of 33, but managed 2nd among Club Crews. The field was dominated by D1 schools like Wisconsin, Louisville, Minnesota, Indiana, and Iowa who fielded as many as 7 boats a piece. The Novice Women's 8+ had a rough race, but manage 13th of 18, and 3rd among Club Crews. The Novice Women were able to Best one of University of Iowa's boat, making this the first time the Illini have bested at D1 team.Before the 2nd Novice Men's 4+ or the Varsity Men's 8+ could take to the water, the weather turned for the worst. After a 1 hour delay, the event was called for severe weather, leaving the Varsity Men waiting until Spring to see how they stack up against competitors Michigan, Minnesota, and Michigan State.This Double Header is the only Fall race weekend for majority of the Illini Crew who begin the long Winter Training process leading to Sprint Season in the Spring. The Varsity Women's 4+ however will continue on to the Head of the Charles in Boston next weekend where they aim to improve on this weekend's performance to close out the season.