MC men enter weekend in search of the gold medal at Dad Vails

May 10, 2005
MARIETTA, Ohio - Win Dad Vail gold.

This has been the driving force on the minds of all rowers in the Marietta men's crew program since May 8, 2004. That is the day that Temple won its 15th gold medal in the last 16 years at the Dad Vail Regatta, on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, PA.

Head Coach John Bancheri, who is in his 11th and final season with Marietta College, has convinced his team that 2005 is its year. The men have rallied around his call, dedicating themselves to conditioning, drills and fundamentals - all necessary if they want to snap a 37-year drought at the event.

Marietta is a four-time champion at the regatta, but has not brought the trophy back to the Mid Ohio Valley since 1967. The Pioneers also had victories in 1963 and 1966. Marietta is one of only two schools, Manhattan being the other, to bring crews to each of the past 66 races.

The Pioneer Navy has finished with the bronze medal in the main event in each of the last three years.

The 2005 squad has already done something no other Marietta crew has done in over 35 years, enter the event as the favorite; the Pioneers' Varsity Eight was announced earlier this week as the top seed in the featured race. Michigan, Florida Tech, Temple and Purdue rounded out the top five seeds.

There are 30 entries into the Varsity Eight, with five heats of six crews. The winner of each heat advances to the semifinals, with the last eliminated and the rest advancing to the repechages.

Marietta will have three additional boats, a JV Eight, Freshman/Novice Eight and Varsity Lightweight Four, entered in the regatta. Action begins at 7 a.m. Friday and continues until Saturday at 5 p.m. In 2004, the Freshman/Novice Eight won a gold medal at the Dad Vails.

Here are the members of each Marietta boat.

The Freshman/Novice Eight boat sits from bow Dan Schall, Matt Cascaddan, Peter Seymour, Tom Gray, Brent Wright, Justin Callaham, Alex DelSordo stroke David McIntire and coxswain Tim Rinehart.

Marietta's lightweight four includes bow Steve DiPardo, Chris Engler, Charles Reynolds, stroke David Himes and coxswain Kristen Sukolsky.

Bow Andy Coniglio, Eric Dowler, Chase Graham, Jon Carlon, Brent Keuch, Steve Wynne, Peter Lorenz, stroke Chuck Geyer and coxswain Joe Lincke make up the Junior Varsity Eight shell.

The Varsity Eights sits from bow Kyle Fitzgerald, Matt Henwood, Karl Biermann, Evan Tsourtsoulas, Mark Dolson, Mike Ross, Rob Johnson, stroke Chuck Gowdy and coxswain Devin Ohman.