KINGSTON, Ont. - On Saturday the Gaels traveled to Peterborough, Ontario to compete at the Head of the Trent Regatta. Conditions were perfect for this 4.5km race, with the men's team racing in their second regatta of the season, and the women racing for the first time this fall.

The women kicked off their season with strong performances from all crews. Rookie Danielle Abusow was the first of the Gaels to race, placing second in the lightweight women's single, setting the tone for the women's races that followed.  

The heavyweight eight, Meghan Robinson, Elise Hoffman, Liz Price, Michelle Truaux, Emily Home, Emily Jewell, Tori Graham, Larkin Davenport-Huyer and coxswain Sean Whitehall won with a twenty second lead on the second place crew from western. Home, Price, Truaux, Graham and Whitehall went on to place third in the heavyweight women's coxed four.

The lightweight women's coxed four with Kelsey Hayes, Jen Johnston, Flurry Hogg, Anise Truman, and coxswain Shelby Stinnissen finished first in their event. The lightweight women's eight with Sean Peterson, Bekah Brown, Alison Fox, Katie Prufer, Courtney Coston, Sarah Fisher, Natasha Hesp, Megan Penney, and coxswain Lindsey Wilson also won their event for the second year in a row.  Peterson later placed third in the heavyweight women's double with Abusow. The lightweight women's double with Sara Fisher and Emily Featherstone finished in seventh place.

On the men's side the top finishes came from the lightweight men's double and eight. The crew of Brendan Coffey and Matt Christie placed second in the double and were later joined by Mark Bonar, Jordan Wille, Robert Cooper, Jordan Rendall, Joe Kunkel, Shane Mullen and coxswain Ellie Aylward, to place second in the eight.

Bonar, Wille, Cooper and Rendall placed third in the lightweight coxed four with coxswain Jacob Koudys. Also placing third was the heavyweight coxed four with Kunkel, Eric Farquharson, Mike Howard, Shane Mullen and coxswain Stephen Tuffner.  Howard went on to race the heavyweight eight with Bob Bell, Joey Coward, Scott MacDonald, Jake Rothman, Stephen Holloway, John Ross, Will Kennedy and coxswain Bailey MacKenzie who placed sixth in their event. 

Full results for the Head of the Trent Regatta can be found here: http://www.headofthetrent.ca/results/2012/