Queen’s rowing teams aren’t favourites, but they’re in fine form heading into the season’s biggest competition.

The Gaels rowing team traveled to St. Catharine’s on Saturday for the Brock Invitational — its final regatta before the OUA championship on Oct. 27.

The team posted strong finishes on both the men’s and women’s sides as they faced off against their top competiton: the Brock Badgers and Western Mustangs.

The highest finish of the day on the men’s side came from the lightweight eight boat, which beat out Western by three seconds to finish in first place.

Other top results were from the heavyweight four, the heavyweight eight and the lightweight four, which all placed third.

Men’s coach Alex Condello said the team doesn’t plan to change anything in its final two weeks of preparation.

“We have a plan, we are sticking to it,” Condello said. “We are racing each other every day, and other than that, we are just holding the course.”

The women’s team, who last won the OUA banner in 2010, continued their past success.

They finished in first place in the lightweight four, the heavyweight eight and the heavyweight double races.

The women also finished the lightweight eight in third and the lightweight single in second.

After seeing the results at Brock, head coach John Armitage said the women’s team has a shot at OUA medals.

“It was the first time we’ve beaten Western in eight years [in the heavyweight eight],” he said.

“Winning the heavyweight double was an excellent result that puts them as a potential gold medal crew for OUAs.”

Despite the Gaels’ success at Brock, Armitage deflected the pressure onto Western.

“The Western [women’s] team won the banner last year,” he said. “They’re the favourites.”

On the men’s side, Armitage feels the situation is no different, as the men’s team boasts a number of players returning from the national side.