FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University men's and women's rowing programs will continue their Fall season on Saturday with a  trip to the Wormtown Chase in Worcester, Mass. The event will take place on Lake Quinsigamond.

The Stags have enjoyed success this Fall, including two top 10 finishes at the Head of the Charles last weekend. The women's varsity four took home a ninth-place finish and a qualifying spot in next year's event while the men's varsity eight secured a 10^th-place finish with its own qualifying berth in 2027.

"The challenge is to see how we perform from the Housatonic through the Charles through to this weekend," Head Women's Rowing Coach David Patterson said. "At the first race there was certainly a reality that our 1V8 were gearing up for their double racing at the Housatonic but working more in their fours for Boston. Now without the distraction of the fours, they must find their groove in the eight."

The men are looking to build on their success that started when the Fall season began during the Head of the Housatonic and resumed with the Head of the Charles. Now the program looks to control its own destiny and continue to ascend in performance."

"Finishing 10th at the Head of the Charles was a big step forward for our program, especially finishing ahead of established programs like Trinity, St. Joseph's, and Bucknell," Head Coach Steve Baranoski said. "Combined with having three boats finish in the top 10 at the Head of the Housatonic, we're seeing the depth and competitiveness of this team continue to improve. The guys have gained confidence from these results, but they understand there's still work to do."

Following the Wormtown Chase, both the men's and women's squads will finish up their season at different events. The women's team will head to Poughkeepsie for a meeting with Marist University on November 7. The men's squad will head south for the Princeton Chase on November 1.

"We will utilize the final three weeks of training on the water to shift whole-heartedly into 2k racing mode," Coach Patterson said. "As we look to the Spring, the women have an obvious goal which is to leave the Metro Conference with a flourish. Until more racing happens history dictates that Jacksonville will start the Spring as favorites to win the conference championship. However, from what we have seen this fall we have plenty enough challenge going on locally to drive us forward."