Rowing brings home gold, bronze from Dad Vail Regatta

Rowing brings home gold, bronze from Dad Vail Regatta

The Fairfield University rowing teams enjoyed another strong showing at the Dad Vail Regatta, highlighted by the women's pair capturing the gold medal and the women's novice four securing a bronze medal. The men's pair gained the grand final for the third straight year before setting for sixth place.

The women's pair included Krissi Gorsuch and Jessica Keefe, who combined for a first-place finish in all three of its races. The duo started with a first-place run in its heat, picking up a time of 7:34.10 which sent them to the semifinals. In that race, Gorsuch and Keefe secured a top time of 8:18.20 to gain the Grand Final. With the medal on the line, the pair edged Loyola Marymount, Pitt, Brock, Georgia Tech, and Case with a time of 8:12.92.

The women's novice four also collected hardware with a third-place finish in the Grand Final. The team consisted of Margaret McGohey, Lorena Gullotta, Avery Adams, Liz Kavanagh, and coxswain Alison Bishop, which combined for a time of 8:06.03 behind Emory and Brock. The Stags beat William and Mary, West Virginia, and Rochester. On Friday, the novice four won its heat in 8:17.49 by beating Jacksonville, Lehigh, Carnegie Mellon, and North Carolina State. The semifinals resulted in second place for Fairfield in 8:08.22, ahead of Pitt, Iona, Rollins, and Marquette.

The men's pair advanced to the Grand Final for the third straight year, ending the regatta with a sixth-place finish in 7:35.34. Drexel, Lafayette, Iona, Rollins, and Pitt were in front of the Stags in the final. Fairfield reached the race with a first-place run in its heat (7:34.10) and a second-place result in the semifinals (7:36.37). The pair was comprised by Matt McNeill and Ben Andrews.

The varsity four crossed the finish line in 8:04.18 in its heat, which sent the crew to the event semifinals. In the next race, the team finished fifth with a time of 8:01.37 as Villanova took first in the race (7:42.63). The Fairfield participants were Molly Graffam, Bridget Butterworth, Genevieve Bleidner, Kim Beatty, and coxswain Julia Merenda.

The men's novice eight secured a third-place finish in its heat, which would have placed it in the semifinals. However, the boat was later disqualified for a lane violation. The crew included Brendan Spearing, Phillip Falco, Jerry Vissers, Sal Caiola, Marco Raffaelli, Eddie Weiner, Jimmy Fusco, Collin Galbato, and coxswain Ricky Solano.

Please check fairfieldstags.com in depth coverage including Coach David Patterson's insight and comments.

Posted On: 05-14-2011 11:05 AM

Volume: $vol Number: $num