Year 12 St Paul’s College Walla student Imogen Wragge joined Year 11 rowers Eily Taylor (Rutherglen High School) and Indi Hogan (Albury High School) in the Open Single Sculls event over the full 1500-metre course.
With 28 competitors across eight heats, the event attracted the largest field of the regatta, with heat winners progressing directly to Saturday’s quarter-finals and the remaining rowers moving to repechage races.
The opening day saw ideal tailwind conditions greet the competitors.
Hogan was first on the water in heat two, competing in her first single scull race since undergoing knee surgery.
Despite early nerves, Hogan quickly settled into the race, moving well with the field before finishing strongly in second place.
Taylor followed in heat three, competing in her second HOSG regatta and showing the confidence gained from previous experience on the Barwon River.
Taking control from the opening strokes, Taylor led from start to finish to claim victory and secure a direct place in the quarter-finals.
Wragge lined up in heat seven against a strong field that included the in-form sculler from Carrum.
The Carrum rower moved to the early lead while Wragge established herself clearly in second place.
The positions remained unchanged to the finish, giving Wragge valuable experience ahead of Saturday’s repechage.
Day two featured eight repechage races, where a win was required to progress to the afternoon’s quarter-finals.
Hogan again led the Corowa contingent onto the water, facing three rivals for the vital first-place finish.
A local Barwon River sculler used her course knowledge to take the lead, while Hogan held off the rest of the field to finish second and advance to Sunday’s finals.
Wragge delivered an impressive performance in her repechage, taking control early and leading all the way to record a strong victory.
In the quarter-finals, Taylor faced a significant step up in competition, with four scullers racing for the two qualifying spots for the semi-finals.
As conditions shifted to a cross headwind, lining up at the start proved more challenging.
Taylor matched the early pace and worked hard to stay in her lane before she and the local Geelong sculler moved clear of the field to secure their places in Sunday’s semi-finals.
Wragge also faced a strong quarter-final field, with all four scullers evenly matched early in the race.
Despite a determined effort to maintain contact with the leaders, Wragge finished fourth and progressed to Sunday’s D final.
Ideal conditions greeted competitors on the final day.
Taylor was first on the water for Corowa in her semi-final, needing a top-two finish to qualify for the A final.
Facing the state’s best Year 12 scullers, Taylor started cautiously before pushing hard through the course to finish fourth, earning a place in the B final.
Hogan then raced for positions in the E and F finals, making another strong start before the race split into two groups.
Holding third position comfortably, she maintained her boat speed to secure a place in the F final.
Hogan was first to contest a final for the club, lining up against four scullers in the F final.
Determined to produce her best performance of the regatta, Hogan surged to an early lead and maintained excellent control and rhythm to claim an impressive victory.
Wragge followed in the D final in what was her final race as a schoolgirl rower.
Staying in touch with the leaders throughout the race, she found herself in a tight three-way battle over the final 500 metres.
Wragge held on to secure a well-earned second place, finishing 14th overall in the Open Single Sculls.
Taylor rounded out the club’s campaign in the B final.
After the Carrum sculler took an early lead, Taylor became locked in a battle with an Essendon competitor at the 1000-metre mark.
Making her move mid-race, Taylor edged ahead and gradually extended her advantage to finish second, securing an outstanding sixth overall in the event.
The Head of the Schoolgirls Regatta is considered the pinnacle of schoolgirl rowing in Victoria, and the Corowa athletes demonstrated they can compete strongly against the best schools in the state.
The club thanked the parents who travelled to Geelong to support the athletes, as well as former Corowa HOSG rowers Emily Tidd, Sommers Hogan and Phoebe Packer for their encouragement throughout the weekend.
Corowa Rowing Club’s final regatta of the season will be held on the Maribyrnong River at the Footscray Regatta, with the club’s Presentation Day scheduled for Sunday, March 29.
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