Marietta men's crew wins three races but Purdue retains Challenge Cup
Pioneer Navy hosts 15th annual Marietta Invitational on April 4

March 28, 2009
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Marietta College men’s crew won three of four races, but Purdue University retained the Challenge Cup in the 54th installment of the head-to-head rivalry between the two Dad Vail schools Saturday (March 28) afternoon on the Eagle Creek Reservoir, the site of the 1994 World Championships.

The Pioneer Navy captured first place in the Junior Varsity 8+ and both Freshmen/Novice 8+ races. The Boilermakers, however, prevented the sweep with narrow victory in the main event, the Varsity 8+, to hold on to the coveted Challenge Cup for the third straight season.

Marietta’s Varsity 8+, which sat sophomore stroke Devin Turley (Herndon, Va./Westfield), junior Mike Flanagan (Absecon, N.J./Holy Spirit), senior Mitch Paskawych (Marietta), sophomore Zach McGurk (Alexandria, Va./Bishop O'Connell), junior John Porter (Potomac, Md./Walt Whitman), sophomore Daniel Bratton (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic), Andrew Hazelrigg (Orlando, Fla./Olympia), freshman bow James Smith (Atlantic City, N.J./Holy Spirit) and sophomore coxswain Thomas Dougherty (Lansdowne, Pa./Monsignor Bonner), battled defending Dad Vail Champion Purdue from start to finish. The boats were within four seats of each other the entire 1,500m race. The Pioneers made a move and edged out to a three-seat lead near the 800m mark. The Boilermakers followed with a move of their own and beat them to the line to claim the two-second victory. Purdue finished in 4:43.58, while Marietta crossed the in 4:45.50.

“I thought the men rowed well today,” Head Coach Chris Pucella said. “Purdue is physically stronger than us, but we combated that with our technique. We learned that we still need to work on our sprint, and I am confident that we will continue to improve as we move further into the season.”

The Pioneers’ Freshmen/Novice 8+ continued to build momentum and confidence with a 13-second win it its race. Stroke Tim Shields (Seaville, N.J./St. Augustine Prep.), Sean McKenna (Blue Bell, Pa./La Salle), Steven Williamson (Moon Township, Pa./Central Catholic), Brian Timlin (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley), Drew Schulte (Parma/St. Ignatius), Jim Furl (Marietta), Patrick Cleveland (New Canaan, Conn.), bow Matt Newsome (Petersburg, N.J./Ocean City) and coxswain Kendra Canter (Marietta) covered the course in 4:55.0. Purdue “A” placed second with a time of 5:08.7, while Purdue “B” was third after crossing the line in 5:30.0.

Marietta 2nd Freshmen/Novice 8+ had the performance of the day as its cruised to a 32-second victory over its nearest competitor. The Pioneers, which featured stroke Ethan Shoemaker (Westerville/North), James Smith (Atlantic City, N.J./Holy Spirit), Richie Fredericks (Seaville, N.J./Ocean City), Ben Charley (Pittsburgh, Pa./Winchester Thurston), Robert Hune-Kalter (Marietta), James Inks (McDonald, Pa./Seton-La Salle), Charles Jordan (Bay Shore, N.J./St. Anthony's), bow John Chester (Petersburg, N.J./Ocean City) and coxswain Tyler Stay (Bethel Park, Pa.), finished in 4:58.20. Purdue “A” crossed in 5:30.90, while Purdue “B” trailed in 5:55.70.

“We are real pleased with the performances of the freshmen today,” Pucella said. “The F/N 8+ moved when it needed to move. The 2nd F/N 8+ was technically sound from start to finish. Both had solid races.”

The Junior Varsity 8+ was the closest race of the day, but Marietta held on for the win. Stroke Shoemaker, Charles, Jordan, junior Steven Little (Seattle, Wash./Bishop Blanchet), Fredericks, sophomore Zach Mateja (King of Prussia, Pa./Upper Merion), sophomore Gregory Clair (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic), sophomore bow Michael Cute (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic) and coxswain Stay rowed a time of 4:56.0. Purdue “A” was right behind in 4:57.5, while Purdue’s 3rd V8 placed third after crossing the line in 5:12.6.

“To win the JV 8+ was a pleasant surprise,” Pucella said. “The men rowed really well. We were technically better off the line and able to hold off Purdue at the finish.”

Marietta will return to action on Saturday (April 4) morning when the Pioneers host 11 schools for the 15th annual Marietta Invitational on the Muskingum River. Action is slated to begin at 8 a.m. and continue throughout the afternoon.