Novice Gold Highlights Historic Dad Vails for Women's Rowing

Saturday, May 9

Schuylkill River

Temple University

Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta

Temple's novice eight took home a gold medal at the event

Novice Gold Highlights Historic Dad Vails for Women's Rowing

5.9.15 | Women's Rowing

PHILADELPHIA — A historic win for the novice eight highlighted the action for the Temple women's rowing team on the final day of the Dad Vail Regatta on the Schuylkill River. All in all, the Owls advanced three boats through the semifinals, notching three top-eight overall finishes.

"The Dad Vail Regatta is a special one for Temple rowers past and current and this weekend was a momentous one for our program," said Head Coach Rebecca Smith Grzybowski. "I was really impressed with how the entire team stepped into the pressure that is the Dad Vail and executed some of our best races of the year."

Temple's novice eight took gold in their event for the first time in program history. The Owls opened the day with a win in the semifinals, recording a time of 6:54.595 to out-pace Delaware, Bucknell, Drexel, Army, and Georgia Tech. In the finals, Temple raced past George Mason, Duquesne, Purdue Grand Valley State, and Delaware to earn their hardware. The Owls notched a time of 6:47.089 on the 2,000-meter course.

Assistant Coach Alyssa O'Donnell, who directs the novice eight, was thrilled with the crew's performance today. "Today we made history for Temple and I couldn't be more proud of how these women raced," she noted. "They're such an inspiring group of young women - it was amazing to watch them win on their home course, in Philadelphia, with hundred of Temple fans cheering for them."

The novice eight medal was the first for the Temple women's program since the 2004 season. Prior to that year, which saw a bronze medal from the second varsity, the last Owl medals at the Dad Vail came in 1997.

Temple's varsity four finished in sixth place overall, advancing past the semifinals with a second place tim of 7:35.950. The crew finished just behind UMass, and ahead of Drexel, Duquesne, Saint Joseph's, and Marist. In the finals, the Owls recorded a time of 7:46.988 to take sixth overall.

The varsity eight boat nabbed an eighth-place overall finish at the event. In the semifinals, the crew finished third, just behind Bucknell and Grand Valley State, but ahead of UConn, Lehigh, and Orange Coast. In the petite final, Temple placed second with a time of 6:48.866, ahead of Fordham, Colgate, Dayton, and UConn.

Also racing for the Owls today, the novice four and the second varsity each had solid semifinal races. The novice four was fourth in their semifinal in a time of 7:57.273, while the second varsity was fifth in their race, in 6:58.037.

Grzybowski was impressed with the overall atmosphere at the event, from the racing to the fan support. "We had phenomenal parent and alumni turnout throughout the event," she noted. "Their energy and support makes the entire experience even more fulfilling. It was a fantastic weekend for Temple Rowing!"

Temple has another big race this coming weekend, as the team heads to the American Athletic Conference Championships. The event will be held on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J. on Sunday. For more information, check out Championship Central on the American's website.

Results

Racing Lineups

Varsity Eight	2nd Varsity Eight	Novice Eight
cox - Kelsey Franks 8 - Lily Papaleo 7 - Emily Opperman 6 - Emilie Mehler 5 - Jenna Bahel 4 - Moira Meekes 3 - Callie Diguardia 2 - Annie Buckley 1 - Emily Leyland	cox - Erin Matz 8 - Lea Millio 7 - Kaitlin Grisanti 6 - Olivia Stifel 5 - Charlotte Forman 4 - Grace Kroner 3 - Danielle White 2 - Kayla Dorney 1 - Gina Inverso	cox - Victoria Verrekia 8 - Amanda Wolfgang 7 - Janie Augustyn 6 - Amber Dutcher 5 - Rachel Phillips 4 - Sierra Derti 3 - Megan Gleason 2 - Julie Blackmon 1 - Sarah Scanlin

Varsity Four	Novice Four
C - Eleanor Oken 4 - Kathy Bostion 3 - Samantha Sederstrand 2 - Layla Moran 1 - Aimee Meissner	C - Brittany Fowler 4 - Casey Alameno 3 - Kelly McGee 2 - Lisa Kennedy 1 - Carolyn Brooks