Sept. 30 , 2004
MARIETTA, Ohio - The Marietta College men's crew team will travel to Washington D.C. for the 24th annual Scullers' Head of the Potomac Regatta Saturday (Oct. 2). They will then make the trip to Ventnor, NJ for the first "Shore Boys" Regatta Sunday (Oct. 3).

The Head of the Potomac returns after a one-year hiatus due to Hurricane Isabelle. The race is set on a 2.8-mile course that extends down the Potomac River along the Virginia shore across from the Georgetown/Foggy Bottom waterfront in Washington, D.C.

Marietta will make its first appearance at the event, but will face familiar competition, as Georgetown, George Washington and the US Naval Academy are expected to join the Pioneers at the event.

"The regatta will be comprised of a lot of great crews." said head coach John Bancheri. "It will be nice to see that caliber competition early in the season. We are well experienced and our performance should show it. This weekend will show the men where they are compared to some of our competitors."

The First "Shore Boys" Open College Crew Regatta will be held Sunday (Oct. 3) in the back bays of Atlantic City and Ventnor.

Over 150 men and women rowers from Drexel University, Lehigh University, and Marietta College will race a 2.8 mile head race and a 1000 meter sprint race. All three schools are
coached by former local high school oarsmen: Drexel's - Lou Renzulli (Holy Spirit), Lehigh's - Paul Savell (Holy Spirit), and Marietta's - John Bancheri (Atlantic City).

Boats will be launched at 9:30 a.m. from the Dr. John Holland Boathouse at Surrey and Calvert Avenues in Ventnor. The head race will start at 10:00 a.m. from the Atlantic City High School Boathouse near the Albany Avenue Bridge. The race will travel through Ventnor and finish at the old Viking Rowing Club (908 Harvard Avenue). After a short break the sprint race will start at 11:30 a.m. from the 300 block of Harvard Avenue. The finish will end at the old Viking Rowing Club.

"This weekend will be a nice change of pace for our program," added Bancheri. "We always love it in the northeast. The parent and alumni support in that area makes it an enjoyable for the men. We will also use Monday and Tuesday to practice and to let some of our younger guys get their feet wet against local crews."