Sacred Heart
Head of the Riverfront
Pioneers Put Together Strong Showing at Head of the Riverfront
10/5/2026 11:42:00 AM | Women's Rowing
HARTFORD, Conn. – Sacred Heart University women’s rowing competed at the Head of the Riverfront Regatta on Sunday.
HARTFORD, Conn. – Sacred Heart University women's rowing competed at the Head of the Riverfront Regatta on Sunday, putting together a strong day of racing in its second event of the fall season.
The Pioneers opened the day with three boats competing in the women's 8+ race. Sacred Heart's top boat, coxed by Mia Bottone, placed seventh with a time of 15:18.691. The second SHU boat, coxed by Anna Yartz, finished 14th in 15:29.063, while the third boat, coxed by Sophia Bittar, placed 24th with a time of 16:24.112. The fourth boat, coxed by Casey Leaver, was unable to complete the race following a misadventure.
Sacred Heart returned to the water in the afternoon for the women's 4+ race, with all four Pioneers boats finishing competitively in their second race of the day. The boat coxed by Aivlin Kochon led the way with a fourth-place finish in 16:39.484, just 6.920 seconds behind first place. Sophia Bittar's boat placed eighth in 16:59.443, followed by Emily Smith in 11th at 17:08.382 and Anna Yartz in 19th at 17:37.296.
"We needed to figure out where we stand and today we found out," said head coach Lucas Wilhelm. "Fall racing is a very different skill set from the spring sprint season, really focusing on sustained toughness. I am proud of the 2v8+ for a gritty and tough race. That crew loves to row together and races hard. The A4 also had a good outing and put together a solid, consistent piece."
Wilhelm also pointed to areas for the Pioneers to build on as they continue through the fall season.
"The 1v8+ and 3v8+ showed moments of really promising rowing but we couldn't put it together for a whole race, but now we know what the next few weeks of training will look like," said Wilhelm. "The 4v8+ caught a tough break that we all can learn from with their misadventure."
After competing in the 8+ race earlier in the day, all four 4+ boats returned to the water and remained competitive in their second race.
"Our 4s all were competitive for their second row of the day," said Wilhelm. "I know they were all excited to throw down and I am happy with the performance of each of those crews. Back to work."
Results:
Women's 8+ (9:10 a.m. start)
| Place | Coxswain | Bow | Time | Split |
| 7 | Mia Bottone | 118 | 15:18.691 | 00:44.899 |
| 14 | Anna Yartz | 135 | 15:29.063 | 00:55.271 |
| 24 | Sophia Bittar | 137 | 16:24.112 | 01:50.320 |
| -- | Casey Leaver | 142 | Had a misadventure and weren't able to compete. |
Women's 4+ (2:10 p.m. start)
| Place | Coxswain | Bow | Time | Split |
| 4 | Aivlin Kochon | 491 | 16:39.484 | 00:06.920 |
| 8 | Sophia Bittar | 512 | 16:59.443 | 00:26.879 |
| 11 | Emily Smith | 500 | 17:08.382 | 00:35.818 |
| 19 | Anna Yartz | 514 | 17:37.296 | 01:04.732 |
