The Trent Excalibur rowing team capped off a remarkable season with strong performances at the 2025 Canadian University Rowing Championships (CURC's), held November 1–2 at Montreal's Olympic Basin, the site of the 1976 Summer Olympic Games. Hosted by McGill University, the event saw record participation with 28 universities, 385 athletes, and 198 entries competing for national titles. 

Trent's men's and women's programs both competed among the best University rowers in the country, proudly representing the green and white on the national stage. 

On Saturday, November 1, the first day of competition, the Excalibur competed in time trials. 

Time Trial results:

Men's 1x (Gus Suddard) 12th 

Women's LWT 2x (Avery Nelder, Nina Sadlik) 8th 

Women's 2- (Tess Friar, Émilie Mirfield) 5th 

Men's 8+ (Gus Suddard, Aidan Hartley, Luke Sullivan, Sam Farrer, Dylan Billes, Tom Blundy, Owen Ingram, Kallan Ronholm, cox Carlee McCullough) 9th 

Women's 1x (Tess Friar) 4th 

Women's 8+ (Émilie Mirfield, Elly Hutt, Kendall Rose, Lillian Terpstra, Caitlin Cox, Mia Switzer, Nina Sadlik, Madeleine Côte, cox Sam Moss) 7th 

Those results qualified all six boats for finals on Sunday, with women's 2- and women's 1x advancing to A Finals, and the rest to B Finals. 

Sunday Finals:

Men's 1x B Final: 6th 

Women's LWT 2x B Final: 2nd  

Women's 2- A Final: 6th  

Men's 8+ B Final: 3rd  

Women's 1x A Final: 4th  

Women's 8+ B Final: 1st  

Women's 8+ Closes Season with an Emotional Win 

For Trent's women's 8+, CURC's marked both a milestone and a moment of redemption. Trent has not had a program large enough to compete in women's 8+ in a few years, according to Mia Switzer, a thir-year student-athlete with the team. This year, due to a combination of sheer numbers, and skill, coaches thought a competitive women's 8+ boat might be possible. 

The crew, composed of a mix of veterans, graduating athletes, and several rowers coming straight from their novice season, entered the year as an underdog. Their journey began with a tie for first-place with McGill University at Head of the Rideau. The next time the crew faced McGill would be at the OUA Championships, where they placed 4th and Trent, 5th, just .6 seconds behind McGill. 

At nationals, the crew placed seventh in the time trial, narrowly missing the A Final by less than a second. That set up a B Final rematch against familiar rivals McGill – one last shot at redemption. 

"We had been so close (with McGill) all season, it could have been anyone's race," said Switzer. "Sitting up at the start I knew that the next 7 minutes would be the most important of my rowing career thus far. The adrenaline was running through my whole body and the whole boat. Each finger on my oar was ready to pull and both of my legs were itching to push. The official calls "Attention" and the world pauses, 5 crews sitting, blades in, ready. The official calls "GO"  and I tune into my crew. All I can hear is my coxswain and all I can see is the rower in front of me.' 

McGill and the University of Toronto would get an early lead, but as the race continued, Trent closed the gap. By the 750 metre mark, Trent had passed U of T and were neck and neck with McGill. 

"My coxswain called for us to make a move, power 20. Up and through, we moved ahead of McGill and continued to hold them off," said Switzer. "One boat, one stroke, one mission." 

Led by coxswain Samantha Moss, the Excalibur crew powered through the field to win the B Final, finishing four seconds ahead of McGill and securing seventh overall in the country. 

For Moss, the race was a fitting close to her time with the program. 

"We wanted to be proud of the race and come off the water knowing we gave it our all," she said. "As a graduating athlete, I will forever look back on my experience as a Trent rower with fondness." 

Success for Lightweight and Small Boats 

Trent's lightweight double of Avery Nelder and Nina Sadlik capped their season with one of their strongest races yet. The duo had trailed Brock University throughout the fall, but at CURC's they surged ahead, finishing 12 seconds ahead of Brock and just one second behind Toronto in the B Final. 

"This was by far our best performance all season," said Sadlik. "Even though we placed eighth overall, our time was the seventh fastest in the country. It was such an exciting race and a great way to finish." 

In the women's single, Tess Friar delivered another standout performance, finishing fourth in the A Final. Friar, who had captured silver at the OUA Championships one week earlier, was just three seconds shy of a national medal. She also raced alongside Émilie Mirfield in the women's pair, placing sixth in the A Final. 

 "For my first CURC's, making the A Final in both events was so exciting," said Friar. "Being able to compete against athletes from across Canada, including national team rowers, was motivating and unforgettable." 

Momentum for the Future 

Program coordinator Shelley Adair praised the team's performances across both men's and women's programs. 

"It was an excellent weekend of competition that saw our best university athletes from across the country lay it on the line representing their schools," Adair said. "Trent demonstrated amazing grit and determination as they rowed through tough conditions. This strong finish sets the stage for an even more exciting season next year." 

Trent's women's rowing program finished seventh overall among 28 universities, earning 42 points, while the men's team placed 12th with 18 points.