FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University men's and women's rowing teams will venture into another Fall season that will send the squads up against the sport's regional and national elite as the Stags will embark on another challenging schedule beginning in October.

The men's team will open its campaign with a local event on October 6, making its way to the Head of the Riverfront for the program's only Connecticut stop this Fall. Following the in-state race, Fairfield will make the first of two trips to Philadelphia when it participates in the Navy Day Regatta on October 13, bringing participants from across the region and the nation to the Schuykill River.

The season continues with the Head of the Charles on October 20 as the Stags look to extend its annual trip to Boston for the national meet. The Fall campaign comes to a close when the program makes its way back to the City of Brotherly Love for the Head of the Schuykill on October 26.

"This fall season we are going to have quality competitions through October, focusing solely on the longer distance races departing from our tradition of ending with 2k racing," Director of Rowing David Patterson said. "Having established where we stand collegiately in the varsity eight competitions last year we have a clearer idea who our closest contenders are heading into the 2024-2025 season. Long distance races allow us to remain focused on our top priority for the fall which is improving our technique, our fitness and enhancing our resilience and culture before switching into the spring 2000m challenges."

The women's team will also participate in those four Head races during the Fall season but will also add one additional date to the slate. The Stags will close out their campaign with the Sacred Heart University head race on November 2 on the Housatonic River, a fifth consecutive weekend of competition.

"Having continued our stay amongst the top 3 programs in the MAAC for the third straight year we will be taking on the challenge of remaining in the top 3 for yet another year," Patterson said. "The commitment being shown by all the programs in the conference to raise the bar in the MAAC is clear to everyone. We will be looking for new ways to continue our own development concentrating on technique, fitness, resiliency and culture in an effort to peak in May. What we have achieved in recent years shows we are doing good quality work but as always we strive to do better."