The Trent Excalibur rowing program made history at the 2026 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Rowing Championships as the women's team secured its highest-ever finish in program history, placing third in the overall women's standings. In a remarkable showing at the Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course in St. Catharines, Ontario, every female varsity athlete finished on the podium in their respective events.  

The historic result was part of an outstanding weekend for the Excalibur, who captured seven varsity medals, including two gold, one silver and four bronze, and advanced all 13 entries to the A finals. Combined with strong performances from the men's crews, the Excalibur secured fifth place in the overall team standings.  

"This was an exceptional showing for Trent Rowing," said Shelley Adair, team manager. "We have worked really hard as a coaching staff to develop a strategy that moves our athletes forward in their development, and the athletes are buying in! The success we are seeing is a tribute to both the coaches and the athletes and the trust they have for one another."  

Tess Friar (Roslin, ON) led the way with a gold medal in the varsity women's single, finishing in 8:05.656, nearly eight seconds ahead of second-place Brock University. Friar added a silver medal alongside teammate Émilie Mirfield (North Bay, ON) in the varsity women's pair, crossing the finish line in 7:26.682.  

Nina Sadlik (Vancouver, BC) and Madeleine Côté (Chelsea, QC) also claimed gold in the varsity lightweight women's pair, finishing in 8:13.503, more than seven seconds ahead of Queen's University. Sadlik went on to earn a second medal alongside Avery Nelder (Sydenham, ON), taking bronze in the varsity lightweight women's double.  

On the men's side, Owen Ingram (Granton, ON) secured bronze in the varsity lightweight men's single, finishing in 7:21.852. The varsity men's eight also delivered a strong performance, placing fourth in 6:17.876, while the men's pair of Gus Suddard (Brighton, ON) and Sam Farrer (Georgetown, ON) and the men's double of Luke Sullivan (Hamilton, ON) and Myles Quintyn (Niagara Falls, ON) each earned fifth-place finishes.  

Additional bronze medals came from Elly Hutt (Ottawa, ON) and Mirfield in the varsity women's double, as well as the varsity women's four crew of Isabelle Plourde (Pembroke, ON), Mia Switzer (Toronto, ON), Léa-Maude Lajoie (Alexandria, ON), Caitlin Cox (Ottawa, ON) and Jordyn VandenAkker.  

The combined results propelled Trent's varsity women to a program-best third-place finish in the overall women's team standings, an especially significant achievement given the size of the Excalibur program.  

Unlike larger university rowing programs that can field entries across nearly every event, Trent competed with a smaller roster with fewer scoring opportunities. However the Excalibur's exceptional performances in the events they entered were enough to secure a place among the province's top three women's programs.  

"Every medal was earned in a hard fight against a large pool of competitive schools and every athlete pushed themselves harder than ever to achieve this huge success," said varsity women's coach Brianna Tombs. "As coaches, we couldn't be happier with the grit and intensity showed by our athletes this weekend."  

The championships also marked the successful completion of a goal established by Trent's coaching staff ahead of the competition: advancing every varsity entry to the A finals.  

Future of Trent Rowing on Display at Development Regatta  

The Excalibur's novice and junior varsity crews also had a strong performance at the OUA Development Regatta on October 30. The competing crews captured four medals across six entries, including one gold, two silver and one bronze.  

The strong results reflect the depth of emerging talent within the Excalibur rowing program, as Trent continues to develop the next generation of varsity athletes.  

The novice women's eight, coached by Kate MacKenzie, delivered a commanding gold-medal performance, finishing the 1,000-metre race in 3:46.484, more than five seconds ahead of the University of Ottawa. The crew finished first among 11 entries.  

Trent's novice women's four added a silver medal, while the junior varsity women's four earned bronze in 8:03.223, finishing just four seconds behind the gold-medal-winning crew.  

"We took a chance on boating a four and an eight this year to help grow the Trent women's rowing program for the future," said MacKenzie. "I am so pleased with the strong results from both boats. The eight had their best race ever to win gold over 10 other entries."  

 The novice men's eight also delivered an impressive performance, earning silver in a competitive field of 11 universities. Despite facing interference from neighbouring crews during the race, the Excalibur maintained their composure and secured a podium finish.  

"The whole crew showed great determination fighting off lane interference from both McGill and Ottawa U to stay in the race," said novice men's coach Mike Vanderpost. "Coxie Oliver Espinola displayed great crew leadership protesting the interference with race officials to win both a positive judgment and silver medal result. Great whole crew effort."  

Excalibur Look Ahead to National Championships  

Following a successful provincial championship weekend, Trent Rowing will now turn its attention to the Canadian University Rowing Championships (CURC's), taking place November 5–7 in London, Ontario.  

With seven varsity medals, a program-best third-place finish in the women's standings and every varsity entry reaching the A finals, the Excalibur enter the national championships with momentum.  

The results reflect the continued growth of Trent's rowing program and the collective efforts of its student-athletes and coaching staff, as the Excalibur prepare to compete against the country's top university rowing programs.  

Results and updates about the CURC's will be shared on Trent Excalibur social media and at trentexcalibur.ca