Men’s and women’s rowing off to a strong start
The Schuylkill River was packed with people on March 25 as men’s and women’s rowing participated in the annual Murphy Cup held in Philadelphia featuring teams from all over the east coast.
Freshmen shined on the women’s squad, with the Freshman 4 taking first place and the Freshman 8 earning the silver medal on the day. The winning boat held freshmen Shannon Mulgrew, Gabby Gorman, Maura Donnelly, Christine Porcaro and Demi Simms.
The women’s Freshman 8 boat was comprised of Mulgrew, Gorman, Simms, Porcaro, Emma Schuettler, Samantha O’Connell, Kelsey Bellomia, Fiona McKee and Kate LaCasse.
Women’s Head Coach Gerry Quinlan is optimistic after the strong performance by the freshmen during the Murphy Cup.
“We have a very young but agile team this year with freshmen scattered throughout every boat,” Quinlan said. “The freshmen bring an enthusiasm and excitement to an experienced team and we are seeing great progress every week.”
The entirety of the women’s team had competitive performances and Quinlan believes they will continue to improve as the season progresses, especially with a lot of freshmen at the helm.
“Having such a young team, our learning curve is huge and we will continue to grow and build off of our great winter training session,” he said.
The men’s team had a stellar performance on the Schuylkill, with the Varsity 8 earning a gold medal. The boat consisted of senior coxswain Caroline Bird, senior Matt Ladd, senior Keenan Perry, junior Garren Best, sophomore Riley McGwin, senior David Wong, freshman Slam Dunkley, junior Thomson Rymer and junior Claudio Recchilungo.
According to men’s Head Coach Mike Irwin, this marks St. Joe’s first Murphy Cup championship in the Varsity 8 since 2005.
The men’s Freshman 8 had a good day as well, earning second place with coxswain Courtney McDonnell, Mike Thompson, Eddie Blackburn, Patrick Ganter, Sam Ferrizzi, Joel Ridd, Mark White, John Thompson and Jansen Kachel.
Irwin was pleased with how the Hawks performed in one of their first competitions of the season.
“This was a breakthrough regatta for the program,” he said. “We felt good about our winter training but having strong team results at our opening race is something our seniors have been working towards for four years.”
All four boats for the St. Joe’s men’s team reached the Grand Finals, a big accomplishment so early in the season.
Despite the strong performances at the Murphy Cup, the season is just beginning and the men’s and women’s teams need to get back to work and prepare for what lies ahead.
“We need to be faster to meet our goals for the season,” Irwin said. “The level of competition at the Dad Vail keeps getting stronger. We have to get right back to work on Monday morning if we want to compete for medals in May.”
With their seasons just beginning, the men’s and women’s rowing teams have a lot of time to improve before the end of their season and the Dad Vail Regatta.
The Dad Vail Regatta is the largest collegiate regatta in the United States, hosting over 100 teams from across the nation.
The men’s team returns to action on April 1 here in Philadelphia against Georgetown University, while the women travel to San Diego for the San Diego Crew Classic from March 31−April 1.
Correction: In the March 29 issue of The Hawk, members of the Varsity 8 boat who earned a gold medal were incorrectly identified. The correct boat members are senior coxswain Caroline Bird, senior Matt Ladd, senior Keenan Perry, junior Garren Best, sophomore Riley McGwin, senior David Wong, freshman Slam Dunkley, junior Thomson Rymer and junior Claudio Recchilungo.
