St. Catharine's, Ont. (Oct. 26, 2025) - Rosie O'Brien snapped a more than a decade-old gold medal drought on Saturday by winning Carleton's first-ever women's rowing gold medal.
It had been more than ten years since Hall of Fame member Matthew Fournier had earned the Ravens an OUA gold medal when Rosie O'Brien took the start line on Saturday. Unphased, the powerful Ravens rower surged to victory in the lightweight single, leading the pack by almost two seconds.
O'Brien would go on to finish fourth in the women's doubles a few minutes later, cementing her place as the OUA's Female Athlete of the Year.
"Rosie has been a strong contributor to the team's medal success over the last four years," shared Ravens head coach Ed Fournier. "It is great to see her excel and win gold in the lightweight women's single at this year's OUA Championships."
The gravity of being the first Ravens women's rower ever to capture gold isn't lost on O'Brien. Following the weekend's racing, O'Brien was quick to compliment those around her for her success. "Bringing home Carleton's first OUA gold medal in Women's Rowing means so much to me! It also wouldn't have been possible without years of dedicated coaches and athletes, who contributed to and built up our program, leaving it stronger than when they arrived." In a word, O'Brien is grateful for the dedication and support of those who built the program and continue to support her today. "I'm so grateful for our team, coaches, rowing community, support staff, and to have been recognized as the OUA Rowing Female Athlete of the Year."
O'Brien's doubles partner, Hayley Murray, made her way onto the podium later in the afternoon. Just a week removed from winning gold at the Head of the Charles, Murray and the women's coxed four captured an OUA silver medal, 3.213 seconds ahead of Western in third.
The Ravens women's coxed four is comprised of Charlotte Mercer (coxswain), Anna Vrbaski, Klaudija Eliza Krisjane, Hayley Murray and Megan Elekes.
Overall, the Carleton women finished in seventh place while the small but mighty men's crew overcame an injury-plagued season to finish in eighth. The Ravens' results is not reflective of their successful OUA season. Due to smaller team sizes, the Ravens were unable to field crews in some of the higher-scoring races, such as the varsity eight.
In total, four Ravens boats competed in A Finals on Saturday, with seven others competing in B Finals. The Ravens also got a top-five finish at the competition from their men's lightweight coxed four. The boat of Seth Basler, James Sheridan, Cameron Burston, David Badekin and Magnus Abdelnour finished fifth, earning the Ravens' best men's finish.
The Ravens now have their work cut out for them as they prepare for the national championships in Montreal this weekend. "Heading into nationals next weekend, we'll be facing strong teams from the Western and Eastern regions,' explained O'Brien. "I'm excited to compete in Montreal and leave everything out on the water for the 2025 season!"
The Canadian University Rowing Championship will take to the water at the Olympic Basin (Ile Notre-Dame) in Montreal, Quebec, on November 1 and 2.
