Temple University Athletics
Men's Crew Tallies Two First Place Finishes At Murphy Cup
3.29.09 | Men's Crew
March 29, 2009
PHILADELPHIA - The Temple men's crew team took to the Schuylkill River for the first time in this spring season, hosting the Murphy Cup on Saturday, March 28. The Owls nabbed gold in the Novice 4 and Junior Varsity 8 divisions, while the Varsity 8 took second behind Jacksonville.
The Temple Crew teams hosted what was the largest Murphy Cup in the history of the event. The Schuylkill River played host to 43 universities from up and down the east coast. The Murphy Cup has grown into one of the top twelve largest collegiate regattas in the country.
The Murphy Cup went of without a hitch on Saturday, under cloudy skies and a slight chop on the Schuylkill. Head Coach Gavin White stated that the timeliness of the start was, “A credit to the outstanding group of officials and the stakeboat work of Al Wachlin.
The Novice 4, consisting of coxswain Sam Gennace, Djordje Vilmanovic, Petar Ivacic, Chris Roberts, and Brandon Joyce, won their race with a time of 7:00.02. The Junior Varsity 8, consisting of coxswain Michael Berger, Stephen Brady, Joe Bellesheim, Matthew Meyer, Brendan Cunningham, Scott Herring, Aaron Heyde, Brian Reehill, and Mike VanAssche, rowed a first place time of 6:02.21.
The Varsity 8's attempt at defending their title was stopped short by Jacksonville, who crossed the finish line a mere 2.41 seconds ahead of the Cherry and White (5:57.52). Rowing in the Varsity 8 boat were Thomas Goldner, James Barr, Patrick Curran, Jason Cartwright, Jeff Wunderlich, Joseph Welsh, Thomas Masterson, and John Masterson.
The Owls will have a week off to prepare for the Knecht Cup, April 10 and 11.
