Eliza Dawson represents Canada at U23 World Championships, finishing 7th.
 
Dinos rowing team co-captain Eliza Dawson competed for Team Canada at the U23 World Rowing Championships in Varese, Italy last month as a member of the women's eight. 
 
Racing for the W8+ kicked off amid soaring temperatures on July 26, with Canada facing the USA, the Netherlands, and Italy in their heat. With only the first place crew advancing directly to the Final, USA took a commanding lead to finish first with a time of 6:07.8, followed by the Netherlands, Italy, and Canada in fourth place.
 
The repechage - or 'second chance' race - took place on July 27 with Canada lining up against Italy, Germany, Romania, and the Netherlands, with the top four crews advancing to the Final. Canada was off to a quick start, passing the 500 meter mark in second place, 0.5 seconds behind Germany. At the 1000 meter mark, Germany had a slight two second lead on the field, with the remaining nations all within 0.2 seconds of each other. All five boats remained incredibly close together through the 1,500 meter mark and into the last 500 meters of the 2,000 meter race. After a hard-fought race, Canada finished in fifth place, narrowly missing out on a place in the Final by 0.32 seconds. The spread of finishes was incredibly tight, with only 1.31 seconds separating first place from fifth place. Canada finished in seventh place overall.
 
Dawson began her rowing career with the Dinos rowing team and is the first Dino to represent Canada at the U23 World Rowing Championships. The Trail, BC native returns to the U of C this fall to complete her final year in Kinesiology. Dawson will be looking to defend her title in the Collegiate Womens Fours at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta in October and has her sights set on a podium finish at the Canadian University Rowing Championships in November.
 
The Dinos rowing team practices at the Glenmore Reservoir in Calgary. Novice recruiting is set to kick-off during Block Week, with try-outs on Saturday, September 10. For more information, please contact Head Coach Lisa Kates at dinos@calgaryrowing.com.