The Trent University Excalibur rowing team, made up of 21 varsity and novice student-athletes, delivered an exceptional performance at the 2026 Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta this weekend, returning home with three gold medals, one silver medal and the National Women’s Overall Sculling Championship title. 

Guided by varsity rowing head coach Ugette Vanderpost and novice women’s rowing coach Kate Mackenzie, the Excalibur earned the championship title by accumulating the highest point total across the women’s sculling events.  

“After five long months of rigorous winter training and only a short window on the water before racing, this team showed extraordinary resilience and unity at the prestigious Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta,” said varsity rowing coach Ugette Vanderpost. “We came away with incredible results, but what impressed me most was how these student-athletes responded to every challenge - near wins, unexpected losses, difficult weather, injuries, fatigue, and fierce competition.” 

Hosted by Thomas Jefferson University on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey, the annual Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta is the largest collegiate regatta in North America, with over 100 universities from Canada and the U.S competing. This year marked the 50th anniversary of women being allowed to compete at the event. 

Tess Friar (Roslin, ON) dominated the Women’s Single, placing first in her time trial, semifinal, and final while leading from start to finish. She finished more than 26 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher in the final. 

Caitlin Cox (Ottawa, ON) then joined Friar, combining to earn silver in the Women’s Double, finishing just four seconds behind Queen's University. Nina Sadlik (Vancouver, BC) and Avery Nelder (Sydenham, ON) added valuable points with a sixth-place finish in the same event. 

The championship was sealed in the Women’s Quadruple Sculls, where Ellie Hutt (Ottawa, ON), Lillian Terpstra (Carleton Place, ON), Mia Switzer (Toronto, ON), and Nelder captured gold in 7:24, defeating the crew from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) by 6 seconds. 

One of the weekend’s most memorable moments came from the Frosh/Novice Women’s Eight. 

Just 10 minutes before launching for the Grand Final, the crew discovered a damaged part that made their boat unusable. After scrambling to find a replacement, Queen's University graciously offered the team its varsity eight boat. The Trent student-athletes then had to race in an unfamiliar shell with different oars and a completely reversed seating order. 

The crew remained composed and rowed to a commanding gold-medal finish, defeating La Salle University and the University of Pittsburgh by 20 seconds. 

“Despite these challenges, we trusted each other, executed our race plan, and came out with a dominant gold,” said student-athlete Sam Moss (Woodbridge, VA). “To represent Trent at the largest collegiate, American regatta and to do so well brings me so much pride. To do it alongside the best crew makes it that much better.” 

Trent Excalibur rowing full team results are as follows: 

Gold Medals: 

• Varsity Women’s Single (1x): Tess Friar - 8:24.350 finish, 26.25 seconds ahead of second place finisher Drexel University. 
• Varsity Women’s Quadruple Sculls (4x): Ellie Hutt, Lillian Terpstra, Mia Switzer and Avery Nelder -  7:24 finish, beating Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Oklahoma City University. 
• Frosh/Novice Women’s Eight (8+): Isabelle Plourde, J. VandenAkker, A. Ferguson, L. Lajoie, E. Batchelor, S. LeMoine, Sam Moss, E. Narraway, and H. Scullion - 07:36.380 finish. Defeated LaSalle University by 20 seconds at the finish. 

Silver Medals: 

• Women’s Double (2x): Tess Friar and Caitlin Cox - 7:46 finish, four seconds behind Queen’s University. 

Additional Standout Performances:

• 4th Place – Men’s Single (1x): Gus Suddard 
• 6th Place – Women’s Double (2x): Nina Sadlik and Avery Nelder 
• 7th Overall – Men’s Double (2x): Sam Ferrer and Brayden Walsh 
• 8th Overall – Men’s Single (1x): Luke Sullivan