Saratoga Rowers Win Big at Head of the Fish
Hannah Paynter, winner of the Women’s Open 1x at the 2025 Head of the Fish regatta. Photo via ARION Rowing.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Athletes from the Saratoga-based ARION (Advanced Rowing Initiative of the Northeast) program excelled at the 2025 Head of the Fish regatta at the end of October, with Hannah Paynter winning the Women’s Open 1x and the team of Sophia Ortega and James Schmidt winning the Mixed Open 2x.
“ARION athletes raced hard, worked all over the regatta, and even put together some great costumes,” ARION said in a social media post. “Grateful for the [Saratoga Rowing] community and to all the competitors who came out.”
The ARION program has sent some of its athletes to the Olympics, including Kristi Wagner and Lauren O’Connor, who both finished ninth overall in their respective events at the 2024 games in Paris, France.
Head of the Fish is one of the largest regattas in the country, bringing more than 160 teams and 1,600 crews from across the northeast to compete in Saratoga Springs.