Oct. 13, 2002

FAIRFAX, VA... The George Mason women's rowing program turned in a fine combined effort during its home event, the Occoquan Chase, Sunday afternoon.

The First Varsity Eight finished second out of 16 boats with a time of 16:41, just nine seconds out of first place, while the Second Varsity Eight finished 12th (18:28) in the same race.

"Our First Varsity Eight had a good turnaround from last weekend," said head coach Paul Rassam, noting that his team defeated several boats they had lost to during the previous regatta. "They've really built some momentum heading into the Head of the Charles this weekend, which will be our toughest test of the fall season."

Rassam made some changes to his First Varsity Eight, including moving Meia Raboteau into the one spot after she worked the previous event on the Second Varsity Eight.

"We wanted to bring her experience to the first boat," said Rassam. "And she seemed to provide an extra spark this weekend."

In other varsity action, the Varsity Four finished fourth in a ten-boat race with a time of 19:05.

The Novice Eight won its race, posting a time of 18:07 in an eight-boat field, while the Novice Four , in a time of 23:17, finished second in a three-boat race.

"The Novice Eight turned in a very impressive performance this past weekend," commented Rassam.

First Varsity Eight:
Coxswain-Annmarie Fitzpatrick
8-Laurel Sachleben
7-Melissa Sanford
6-Lindsey English
5-Patricia Angelo
4-Laura Craig
3-Ally Chewning
2-Liz Judge
1-Meia Raboteau

Second Varsity Eight
Coxswain-Nancy Irby
8-Kate Laczynski
7-Megan Duvall
6-Emma Abel
5-Paige Beaudoin
4-Christina Piazza
3-Christina Gonzalez
2-Leslie Topping
1-Michele Leblanc

Novice Eight
Coxswain-Rebecca Abarr
8-Nicole Pierce
7-Summer King
6-Kathryn Rose
5-Kelly Bryan
4-Jennifer Welfare
3-Jessica Dillman
2-Terry Seal
1-Lindsay Dahling

Novice Four
Coxswain-Candace Mauerhan
4-Marissa Olesen
3-Leanne Creger
2-Anna Burmeister
1-Kellyn Beltran