Marietta men head to Philadelphia for busy weekend of racing on the Schuylkill River
Pioneer Navy to compete at Frostbite Regatta Saturday and Braxton Regatta Sunday

Nov. 11, 2005
MARIETTA, Ohio – The Marietta College men's rowing team returns to Philadelphia, Pa., and the Schuylkill River this weekend (Nov. 12-13) to wrap up its fall competition. The Pioneers will race Saturday at the Frostbite Regatta and the Sunday at the Bill Braxton Memorial Regatta.

The last regatta on the Schuylkill of the fall season, the Bill Braxton Memorial Regatta was founded by the Braxton family and friends to honor the memory of Bill Braxton, Jr., a popular and highly motivated lightweight rower attending Marietta College. In 1972, the Marietta lightweight 8+, in which Bill Braxton rowed bow seat, finished an impressive second in the Dad Vail Regatta. The following year, with Braxton rowing seven seat, the Marietta lightweight 8+ went undefeated during the season and won the Dad Vail. Bill, Jr., was killed later that summer in an auto accident.

The Braxton Regatta, originally sponsored by Crescent Boat Club, moved to the Philadelphia Girls' Rowing Club in the 1980s. The Braxton family and many of Bill Jr.'s friends remain involved in the regatta to this day.

Head Coach Christopher Pucella will enter four boats — a Heavyweight Eight, Lightweight Eight, Freshman Eight and Freshman Four — into the Frostbite and all but the Freshman Four into the Braxton.

Here are the expected lineups for each shell: