Marietta's Freshman/Novice 8+ finishes second at SIRAs
Varsity 8+ and Junior Varsity 8+ compete in Petite Finals

April 19, 2009
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — The Freshman/Novice 8+ won a silver medal to highlight the Marietta College crew’s performance at the 42nd annual Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) Championship Saturday (April 18) and Sunday (April 19) on Melton Hill Lake. The runner-up shell was one of three Pioneer boats to compete in the regatta; Marietta’s Varsity 8+ finished third and the Junior Varsity 8+ placed second in Petite Finals on Saturday. [Results]

Marietta was one of 22 schools to compete in the Freshman/Novice 8+ event, which featured heats and semifinals on Saturday and then finals on Sunday. Stroke Patrick Cleveland (New Canaan, Conn.), Jim Furl (Marietta), Ethan Shoemaker (Westerville/North), Ben Charley (Pittsburgh, Pa./Winchester Thurston), Richie Fredericks (Seaville, N.J./Ocean City), Brian Timlin (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley), Drew Schulte (Parma/St. Ignatius), bow Matt Newsome (Petersburg, N.J./Ocean City) and coxswain Sam Ellis (West Grove, Pa./St. Mark’s) began their weekend with a second place finish in the fourth heat on Friday. Notre Dame won the race in 6:29.20. The Pioneers crossed the line in 6:37.15, while Texas was third after finishing in 6:53.65. The crew then placed runner-up in the afternoon semifinal. Marietta rowed a 6:17.70, finishing just behind Delaware, which crossed the line in 6:17.00. Saturday’s Grand Final saw the same result as the semifinal with Delaware edging out Marietta for the title. Grand Valley State, meanwhile, finished third.

Marietta’s Varsity 8+ not only battled 23 other crews this weekend but also an illness that forced the Pioneers to adjust their lineup and prevented them from rowing at full strength. Despite those obstacles, the shell competed hard and came away with a third place finish in the Petite Final. Sophomore stroke Devin Turley (Herndon, Va./Westfield), freshman James Smith (Atlantic City, N.J./Holy Spirit), junior John Porter (Potomac, Md./Walt Whitman), sophomore Zach McGurk (Alexandria, Va./Bishop O'Connell), junior Steven Little (Seattle, Wash./Bishop Blanchet), sophomore Daniel Bratton (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic), junior Andrew Hazelrigg (Orlando, Fla./Olympia), junior bow Mike Flanagan (Absecon, N.J./Holy Spirit) and sophomore coxswain Thomas Dougherty (Lansdowne, Pa./Monsignor Bonner) opened their event with a third place finish in the first heat Friday morning after crossing the line in 6:14.39. Eventual Grand Final champion Florida Tech (6:08.70) won the heat, while Notre Dame (6:10.53) was second. Later in the day, the Pioneers rowed a 6:08.55 and finished fifth in the first semifinal, sending them to Saturday’s Petite Final. On Saturday, Marietta crossed the line in 6:22 to place behind both St. Joseph’s and Delaware.

The Pioneers’ Junior Varsity 8+ competed in one of two heats on Friday with the top three in each advancing to the Grand Final and the others moving on to a Petite Final on Saturday. Freshman stroke Tim Shields (Seaville, N.J./St. Augustine Prep.), freshman Sean McKenna (Blue Bell, Pa./La Salle), freshman Steven Williamson (Moon Township, Pa./Central Catholic), sophomore Zach Mateja (King of Prussia, Pa./Upper Merion), freshman Charles Jordan (Bay Shore, N.J./St. Anthony's), freshman John Chester (Petersburg, N.J./Ocean City), sophomore Gregory Clair (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic), sophomore bow Michael Cute (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic) and freshman coxswain Kendra Canter (Marietta) finished fourth in their opening heat after covering the course in 6:34.88. The Pioneers then bounced back on Saturday to place runner-up in the Petite Final, finishing behind Notre Dame.

Marietta is back in action on Saturday (April 25) when the Pioneers compete in the Indianapolis College Championship. It will be the crew’s final tune-up before heading to Philadelphia, Pa., May 8-9 for the 2009 Dad Vail Championship Regatta.