April 15, 2003
FAIRFAX, VA...The George Mason women's rowing team competed at the Knecht Cup in Camden, NJ, this past weekend, and the program highlight was the Varsity Lightweight Four winning the Petite Final (8:28.0) and finishing seventh overall.
The Lightweight Four, consisting of coxswain Nancy Irby, 4: Meia Raboteau, 3: Megan Duvall, 2: Cristina Gonzalez and 1: Amanda Scott, missed qualifying for the Grand Finale by just 1.8 seconds.
"They're a really young group [three sophomores and a freshman], and they learn race by race, so after narrowly missing out on qualifying for the Grand Finale, they came back the next day to storm through the field and win the Petite Final," said head coach Paul Rassam, who also noted that the team defeated all of the other Dad Vail schools competing in the event.
Mason also competed in the Varsity Eight, Varsity Open Four, Novice Eight and Novice Four divisions, although none of those teams were able to advance out of their initial heat races.
The Varsity Eight, comprised of coxswain: Annmarie Fitzpatrick, 8: Laurel Sachleben, 7: Ally Chewning, 6: Patricia Angelo, 5: Lindsay English, 4: Melissa Sanford, 3: Laura Craig, 2: Paige Beaudion and 1: Liz Judge, finished their heat in 7:37.8.
"They did not advance, but they were in a tough heat," Rassam noted. "They still had a strong race, as they were really tight with Villanova and Lehigh, two schools that were medallists in last year's Dad Vail Regatta. To be close with those boats was definitely encouraging."
The Varsity Four of coxswain: Fitzpatrick, 4: Michelle LeBlanc, 3: Lesley Topping, 2: Kelly Bryan and 1: Christina Piazza, finished their heat in 9:45.8.
For the novice crews, Rassam noted their steady improvement with each passing competition.
The Novice Eight -- coxswain: Alissa Strouse, 8: Nicole Pierce, 7: Summer King, 6: Terry Seal, 5: Kelly Bryan, 4: Kathryn Rose, 3: Marissa Olesen, 2: Jenny Welfare and 1: Rebecca Abarr - finished their heat in 7:45.0, while the Novice Four -- coxswain Ashley Inks, 4: Jessica Dillman, 3: Welfare, 2: Martha Amas and 1: Leanne Creger, finished in 10:32.8.
"Our Novice Four showed great improvement over last week, and the Novice Eight, while they did not advance, beat Army, a team that had defeated them during the fall season," said Rassam. "They're gaining confidence each week."
"We expected some high-caliber racing at this regatta, and the team really rose to the occasion," stated Rassam. "I was once again impressed by the overall team strength we showed. We're pleased with how we have done so far, but by no means are we satisfied. We can get a lot more speed out of these boats."
Mason travels to Oak Ridge, TN, this weekend to compete in the SIRA Championships Friday and Saturday.
