Overall, the Georgetown crew team really could not have hoped for a better beginning to its 2002-03 season Saturday at the 22nd Head of the Potomac Regatta. Racing on familiar waters over Homecoming weekend, the men’s squad finished in the top five in every event. The women’s team added two gold medals for the Hoyas.

On the men’s side, the Open Eight of the varsity team led the squad, winning a gold medal in the time trial event. Georgetown finished 12 seconds ahead of second-place Navy in the 16-minute race. It was the second straight year that the Hoyas, led by senior coxswain Alex Taft, defeated the rival Midshipmen on the Potomac. The Georgetown junior varsity Open Eight finished fourth in the same event, behind the varsity squad, the second place Midshipmen and another Navy squad.

The men’s club eight finished in third place overall behind two crews made up of college graduates from the Potomac Boat and Palm Beach Rowing Clubs. In addition, the men’s varsity four finished fifth overall Saturday, while the mixed eight squad, which consisted of men’s heavyweights and lightweights, as well as women’s openweights, finished second in the final race of the day.

For the women’s team, the Open Eight crew took a gold medal, finishing more than 11.2 seconds ahead of the Water Street Rowing Club of Washington, D.C., and 17.1 seconds ahead of George Washington. More success was to come, as five of the rowers from the Open Eight, sophomores Peggy Donnelly, Lauren Hodapp and Minta adeley along with juniors Justine Landegger and Rachel Pacheco, rowed again for Georgetown’s Club Eight crew and helped the Hoyas to their third gold medal on the day. Georgetown finished the race in 17 minutes, 41 seconds, almost 15 seconds ahead of Alexandria Community Rowing, which placed second.

Next up for both the men’s and women’s teams is the Head of the Charles Regatta, which will be in Boston on Sunday, Oct. 20.