Knecht Cup Regatta to Honor Women’s Rowing Pioneer Lois Trench-Hines with Dedicated Trophy

Founder of Hines Rowing Center Helped Expand Opportunities for Women and Young Athletes Across the Philadelphia Rowing Community

CHERRY HILL, NJ, UNITED STATES, March 11, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The 27th Annual Knecht Cup Regatta, set for Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12 on the Cooper River, will honor one of the Philadelphia region’s most influential champions of rowing by dedicating the Women’s Varsity Quad race trophy in the name of Lois Trench-Hines, a pioneer for women’s rowing and a lifelong advocate for expanding access to the sport.

This recognition is part of the Knecht Cup Regatta Honorees Series, highlighting individuals whose dedication, innovation and leadership have helped shape the sport of rowing locally, nationally and internationally. Through these tributes, the Knecht Cup celebrates the athletes, officials, coaches and advocates whose lifelong contributions have strengthened the rowing community and inspired new generations of competitors.

For more than six decades, Trench-Hines has been a driving force in the Greater Delaware Valley rowing community -- as an elite athlete, referee, mentor and program builder whose work has opened the sport to generations of young athletes.

Trench-Hines began rowing in 1965, when opportunities for women in the sport were still limited. After joining the small but determined community of women rowing along Philadelphia’s Boathouse Row, she quickly embraced the sport’s physical and technical challenges and began what would become a lifetime of involvement in competitive rowing.

Her talent as an athlete soon carried her to the international stage. In 1973, she represented the United States at the European Rowing Championships in Moscow, competing in the coxed quadruple sculls --an experience that cemented her place among the early generation of elite American women rowers.

Throughout the decades that followed, she worked tirelessly to expand opportunities for women in rowing, helping bring women’s events to major regattas such as the Dad Vail and advocating for the development of scholastic rowing programs for young women.

Perhaps her most lasting contribution came with the creation of the Hines Rowing Center and Whitemarsh Boat Club, facilities she helped develop alongside her late husband, Hall of Fame rower and coach George C. Hines.

What began as a shared vision between two lifelong rowing advocates has grown into one of the region’s most important training campuses -- now home to nine scholastic rowing programs and clubs, providing opportunities for young athletes to discover the sport and pursue rowing at the collegiate level and beyond.

“Lois Trench-Hines has helped shape the modern rowing community in Philadelphia,” said Laura Knecht Blanche, Regatta Director of the Knecht Cup Regatta. “From her own racing career to her decades of advocacy and mentorship, she has opened doors for generations of athletes. The impact of the Hines Rowing Center alone is extraordinary, and we are proud to recognize her legacy at the Knecht Cup.”

Her leadership and lifelong dedication to the sport have been widely recognized. In 2022, Trench-Hines received the Dr. George Morton Illman Award, the Malta Boat Club’s most prestigious honor, recognizing individuals whose contributions have had a lasting impact on the Philadelphia rowing community.

“When I started rowing in the mid-1960s, there were very few opportunities for women in the sport,” Trench-Hines said. “What has motivated me ever since is the belief that rowing should be accessible to anyone who wants to take on the challenge. If we can create opportunities for young athletes to get in a boat and discover what they’re capable of, then we’ve done something meaningful for the future of the sport.”

The trophy named in her honor reflects the same qualities that have defined her life’s work — dedication, perseverance and a commitment to expanding the reach of the sport she loves.

“The Knecht Cup has become one of the premier collegiate regattas in the country, and it’s wonderful to see so many young athletes competing at such a high level,” said Trench-Hines. “Events like this keep the sport vibrant and give the next generation of rowers the chance to push themselves and grow.”

As competitors gather this April on the Cooper River, the crews racing for the Lois Trench-Hines Trophy will be part of a legacy shaped by one of rowing’s most passionate advocates.

And fittingly, many of those athletes will be rowing today because pioneers like Lois Trench-Hines worked to ensure they had the opportunity.

Jim DeLorenzo
Jim DeLorenzo Public Relations
+1 215-266-5943
jim@jhdenterprises.com
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26th annual Knecht Cup Regatta at Cooper River Park in New Jersey is a family affair

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