Apr. 19 , 2007

Crew up for the challenge at SIRA
Eric Dowler
dowlere@marietta.edu

The Pioneer Navy men had a strong showing April 6-7 at the George Washington Invitational. The regatta, held on the Potomac River at the nation’s capital, was held as a two-day event that featured dual racing. Instead of the usual heats then finals, all races were held as finals. Each team raced once on Friday then twice on Saturday.

Marietta’s Varsity Eight raced Virginia first clocking a time of 5:40.8 just behind Virginia (5:36.2). The men’s JV Eight raced Temple (5:47.4) and Virginia (5:47.8), taking third at 6:08.1.

On day two the Varsity first raced Florida Institute of Technology winning with a time of 5:42.7 while FIT came in at 5:51.3. Their second race was against the two top 15 crews Michigan and Cornell. Through the white caps, the Pioneer Navy crossed the line in 5:40 behind winners Michigan (5:30.3) and Cornell (5:34.8). The JV boat raced Michigan (5:59.2) and winners Georgetown (5:47.9), first taking third with a time of 6:07.6. The final race for the JV was against George Washington and St. Joseph’s. GW won in 5:54.2 ahead of St. Joseph’s (6:02.1) and Marietta (6:10.1).

This past weekend the men stayed at home to scrimmage Drexel University while the women’s team headed to Camden, NJ for the Knecht Cup.

The women capped off a great weekend bringing home the gold in the women’s Varsity Four Division III race. The Four easily won their initial heat, clocking a winning time of 8:21.7, ten seconds over John Hopkins (8:31.9), NYU (8:35.2), Lesley (8:53.2), and Susquehanna B (9:04.6). The quick heat set up a strong final showing for the ladies as they finished in 8:11.1, four seconds ahead of second place Mary Washington (8:15.3). Rutgers-Camden came in third (8:20.4) followed by Catholic (8:27.9), John Hopkins (8:30.5), and NYU (8:33.1) rounding out the field.

The lady Pioneer Navy also raced the Varsity Eight, but unfortunately they did not clock a quick enough time to make the final. Marietta (7:57.1) came in fourth behind Vassar (7:23.1), Mary Washington (7:27.0), Bryn Mawr (7:31.3), and ahead of Susquehanna (8:06.1) and St. Mary’s (8:06.6).

While the women enjoyed racing in Camden, the men were back home scrimmaging with Drexel University. Drexel and Marietta scrimmaged on the Ohio River including both teams’ Varsity and JV Eights. The men were prepared for a long and challenging practice that included 15 race pieces. The scrimmage consisted of 3 by 6’, 4 by 3’, and 4 by 2’ and 4 by 1’. Marietta’s top eight won every piece in demanding fashion with the JV fighting back in forth with Drexel’s JV.

This weekend, the Pioneer Navy men will head to Oak Ridge, TN to race at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships. The goal is to try and bring home the gold for the first time since 2003. The men will take a Varsity and JV Eight while the women will bring there Varsity Four. The women’s Varsity Eight will stay out home and race next, on April 28 at the Mid-Atlantic D-III Championships held in Rossville, PA.