Sorin Koszyk Shatters Course Record

It would be an understatement to say that Sorin Koszyk had a “pretty good” day on the water Saturday afternoon. Yet, when asked how he felt about his record-breaking performance on the Charles River in the men’s championship singles race, Koszyk replied, “Pretty good, I guess.”

More than just rowing a “pretty good” race, by making it to the finish line in 16 minutes and 57 seconds, Koszyk not only came in first, he also won $10,000 in prize money and broke the course record set by Cambridge Boat Club’s Andrew Campbell in 2014 by nearly 14 seconds. “I’m pretty happy with the results,” Koszyk said.

Koszyk, rowing for California Rowing Club out of bow position seven, held the lead for the entirety of Saturday’s race. He led the race by nearly four seconds at Riverside, twelve seconds at the Weld checkpoint, and nineteen seconds when passing by the Cambridge Boat Club before making his way under the Eliot Bridge. Ultimately, Koszyk finished the race almost twenty-three seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, New Zealand’s Thomas Mackintosh. Mackintosh, rowing for Hawkes Bay Rowing Club, completed the course in 17 minutes and 20 seconds. Rounding out the top three was New York AC’s Eliot Putnam, who finished Saturday’s race in 17 minutes and 21 seconds.

For the first time this year, there was the promise of prize money for the top three finishers in both the men’s and women’s championship singles race, so Koszyk won $10,000 for his victory. Mackintosh earned $5,000 for placing second, and Putnam received $2,500 for placing third.

Koszyk thought that the prize money, donated by a longtime friend of the Head of the Charles Regatta, Don Smith, was “great.” “It’s definitely an added benefit of winning, for sure,” he said.

Despite the added pressure of potentially winning $10,000 and Saturday’s weather being nearly as wet as the Charles River itself, Koszyk was not phased heading into the race, having prepared to race in the rain.

“We kinda knew it was gonna rain, and it was raining all day, so I just, you know, had the rain jacket, vest warming up,” Koszyk said. “I was pretty well-prepared for that, and it wasn’t too cold, so it was not a huge deal.”

Koszyk is no stranger to the Head of the Charles, having rowed twice before in the regatta’s men’s championship doubles competition, winning in 2021 rowing for Penn AC with partner Dominique Williams.

In addition to Koszyk, Saturday’s race saw a number of faces familiar to the Head of the Charles making their return to Cambridge, including Olympic medalists, past HOCR champions and course record holders. But though he was surrounded by a very competitive field from across the U.S, England, Ireland, and New Zealand, Koszyk was not focused on those around him during the race. Rather than thinking about the other boats on the Charles or the fact that he was competing for a $10,000 prize, Koszyk’s attention was just on the two oars in his hands.

“I was more just working on my own rhythm and just trying to make sure I had an okay course,” he said. “Not trying to take things too tight, but have just a pretty normal, no mistakes made kind of course.”

Suffice it to say, Koszyk, far from making any mistakes on the course Saturday, rowed a much more than “okay” race.

Photo by Katherine Isbell