On Saturday, May 11, Trent Excalibur rowers Tess Friar and Rebecca Dockray raced to a podium finish in the Grand Final of the women’s doubles at the Dad Vail rowing regatta in Pennsauken, New Jersey. 

The 85th Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta, North America’s largest collegiate rowing regatta, was held in Pennsauken, NJ and featured more than 100 colleges and universities from the U.S., Canada, and other countries.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to participate in this regatta because we don’t have anything else of this magnitude that puts our rowers on the water before the summer, and where we can race under our school colours,” said Ugette Vanderpost, assistant coach, Trent Varsity Women’s Rowing. “It is so competitive, you don’t want to go there without a fast crew.”

The women’s doubles beat out 15 other boats in their first race by an impressive 15 second lead. This took them to the semi-final race, where they dominated again, taking the win over 5 other boats by almost 8 seconds – and launching them into the final.

Coach Vanderpost said the pair “had a healthy perspective each time they went on the water and went into that final race absolutely chasing the podium. As they passed the 1,000m mark, without hesitation they just poured it on and no one could touch them from there.” 

Dockray and Friar were victorious, with an impressive time of 08:11.642, more than 10 seconds ahead of second place finishers Oklahoma City. 

The pair have been training for this event since last November. This is the first time Trent women have won this race at the Dad Vail regatta.

“They have a really healthy approach to competitiveness and I just knew they weren’t going to give up. Their calm and quiet leadership really earned them a spot in that boat,” said Vanderpost.

Rebecca Dockray, who completed her second year in English literature studies at Trent described her experience: "The Dad Vail regatta was a first for both Tess and me, and it definitely gave us some challenges with crazy strong winds and rain. I couldn’t have asked for a more dedicated double partner or coach. Ugette volunteered many hours to make sure that Tess and I could get all the practice we needed, and I am very thankful for that. Having a committed double partner makes it easy to push yourself, which is why I had no problems emptying the tank with Tess in stroke. All in all, it was a great regatta and I’m very thankful and proud that I had the opportunity to represent Trent." 

Tess Friar, who just completed her first year in the Trent Nursing program added: “This is only my second year rowing and my first year rowing for the varsity team so I am beyond honoured to be a part of this success. Being able to row with Rebecca has been amazing. She is the most supportive and determined teammate and friend, who I absolutely love rowing with. She pushes me to become a better athlete. Our coach, Ugette, has been pivotal in my development as a rower. She goes above and beyond to help grow each and every one of us as athletes. Being on the rowing team has had such a positive impact on my journey at Trent and I am so thankful for it! I am very excited to see what Rebecca and I (plus all of Trent Rowing) can accomplish next!” 

Prior to competing in the Dad Vail Regatta, Dockray and Friar had an exceptional varsity season representing Trent Excalibur, placing third at Head of the Trent, second at the Brock Invitational, and reached the podium at the OUA Rowing Championships, wining gold in women’s doubles. The pair were honoured as co-recipients of the Rob Marland Award at the 2023-24 Trent Excalibur Varsity Athletic Awards in March, in recognition of their athletic achievements.