Pioneer Paddler
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January 2015 Volume 2, Issue 1 PIONEER PADDLER th Silver at 50 Head of the IN THIS EDITION Charles Pg. 1: Head of the Charles Silver M Men’s Collegiate 4+ with their HOCR Medals Pg. 1: Homecoming Pg. 2: Men’s Fall Recap. Pg. 3: Women’s Fall Recap. Pg. 4: Head of the Charles, cont. Pg. 5: Alumni gather at the Head of the Schuylkill Pg. 6: Spring 2015 Schedule Pg. 6: Equipment Update Pg. 7: Fundraising By: Patrick Specht ‘16 Saturday Morning, the 50th Head of the Charles, and perhaps the most exciting race for the team. Weeks of intense training and many thousands of meters of seat racing had put together the quickest lineup by mere fractions of a deck. In the weeks leading up to the race the rowers and I talked about tactics, course markers, and the crews we would be up against. As the coxswain, I had been gleaning information from a handful of maps and course videos to give us the best route down the river. These weeks of preparation distilled down to a quick 16:35 race time on that perfect October afternoon. As the crews found their way around the warm up area, my attention was drawn to the iconic BU Bridge just past the starting line. The year before it was painted with the message “Make History” and this year’s message was just as impactful; “Defy the Odds”. As I looked at the crews in the warm up area, the blades of Michigan, Wentworth, and Virginia lead the pack towards the deWolfe Boathouse. The tension built approaching the start line, and at just past 4:30pm, the borrowed Resolute hull bearing the Marietta College blades crossed the line and went on the attack. (Continues on page 4) Homecoming: Women Dedicate 2 New 4+’s “No Exceptions,” as an everyday reminder of how they By: Katie Transue ‘16 will reach their goals in the coming years. The Marietta College crew team kicked off their annual After the christening ceremony, three crews were launched Homecoming festivities with the christening of two new to take part in the annual Alumni race to conclude the shells. After a short speech and thank you to the alumni by Homecoming rowing festivities. This year the alumni raced Head Women’s Coach Brad Hemmerly, Junior Captain an 8 boat against the women’s freshman novice/walk-on 8 Isabella Hildebrandt and Senior rower Stephanie Meinert christened the new racing shells. The team and coaching staff chose the names “No Excuses” and (Continues on page 5) 1 of 7 Pioneer Paddler January 2015 Men’s Rowing: Fall 2014 Race Recap… By: Autumn Apgar-Neeld ’18 - The Pioneer Navy started off Every year Marietta crew attends the regatta in memory their season heading to Pittsburgh, PA for the 28th annual of Bill Braxton who won gold in Dad Vails in Marietta’s Head of the Ohio. Due to weather conditions, the regatta 1973 lightweight 8+ crew. was cut short. However, that did not stop Marietta crew from dominating. The regatta started off with the varsity and collegiate novice 4+ races. Marietta’s varsity 4+ lineup of coxswain The team entered two shells for the first race of the day, Patrick Specht, Jon Hinson in stroke, Lida Sheng, the men’s open 4+. With the time of 15:32.07 on a 2.6 mile Michael Bowen and Zach Pope in bow took bronze with course, Marietta’s first boat took gold. The winning team a time of 7:10.86. The novice 4+ won silver with a time of was composed of coxswain Patrick Specht ‘16, Jon Hinson 7:05.80. In the boat sat coxswain Autumn Apgar-Neeld, ‘17 in stroke seat, Cameron Johnson ‘17, Matthew Bush Sam Johnson in stroke, Brendan Murphy, Martin Hall ‘17 and Jack Gleim ‘17 in bow. Marietta’s second boat and Aaron smith in bow. took 12th place. In that boat sat coxswain Autumn Apgar- Neeld ‘18, Jorge Gonzales ’18 in stroke, Patrick Kern ‘18, The next boat to race was the varsity 8, whose time of Matt Peters ‘18 and Gordon O’Brien ‘18 in bow. 6:12.17 placed them 4th in their heat. In the coxswain seat sat Patrick Specht, Jon Hinson in stroke, Jack Gleim, The team also won gold men’s collegiate novice 8+. From Matthew Bush, Cameron Johnson, Shawn Cox, Lida stern to bow that shell sat coxswain Franco Biondolillo Sheng, Michael Bowen and Pat Clary in bow. ‘18, Brendan Murphy ‘18, Martin Hall ‘18, Chris Japchen ‘18, Trey Farley ‘18, Alex Agbay ‘17, Sam Johnson ‘18 and The novice 8 ended the day’s racing, and with a line-up Aaron Smith ‘18. With a winning time of 15:48.88, the of coxswain Autumn Apgar-Neeld, Sam Johnson in crew was 14 seconds ahead of the second place crew, stroke, Brendan Murphy, Trey Farley, Chris Japchen, 16:02.73. Aaron Dillon, Gordon O’Brien, Martin Hall and Aaron Smith in bow. The novice 8+ took bronze with a time of Patrick Specht wrote a great article on the varsity 4’s 6:41.25, 10 seconds behind Ithaca College. experience at the 50th Head of the Charles – check it out! A week later back on the home front, Marietta College hosted Washington University in St. Louis in a number of races on the Muskingum River. Kicking off the Saturday Fall 2014 Results Summary morning was the men’s varsity 8+ in a 6,000-meter head Head of the Ohio race. Marietta men’s varsity team won with the time of Varsity 4+: 1st & 12th of 12 (15:32.07 & 19:29.9 with their second varsity crew in third with a time 19:20.23) of 20:58.4, 20 seconds behind Washington U’s varsity shell Novice 8+: 1st of 8 (15:48.88) in second. 50th Head of the Charles The winning boat was composed of coxswain Patrick Alumni 8+: 49th of 55, 17:33.911 Specht, Jon Hinson in stroke, Jack Gleim, Matthew Bush, nd Cameron Johnson, Shawn Cox, Lida Sheng ‘14, Michael Collegiate 4+: 2 of 44; 16:35.896 Bowen ‘17 and Pat Clary ‘17 in bow. In the second varsity boat was coxswain Autumn Apgar-Neeld, Sam Johnson Home Race vs. Washington University, St. in stroke, Brendan Murphy, Trey Farley, Martin Hall, Louis Aaron Dillon ‘16, Chris Japchen, Zach Pope ‘17 and Aaron Varsity 8+: 1st, 19:28.9 Smith in bow. JV 8+: 1st, 20:58.4 Novice 4+: 2nd, 13:19.5 The varsity teams went on to race four 500-meter sprints, while the second varsity raced three in the 8+ shells. 41st Bill Braxton Memorial Regatta Marietta’s varsity 8+ went out and won all four races rd whereas the second varsity 8+ shell won two out of the Varsity 4+: 3 of 6, 7:10.86 nd three races. Novice 4+: 2 of 6, 7:05.8 Varsity 8+: 4th of 5, 6:12.17 The Pioneers concluded the season at the 41st annual Bill Novice 8+: 3rd of 5, 6:41.25 Braxton Memorial Regatta at Mercer Lake in New Jersey. 2 of 7 Pioneer Paddler January 2015 Women’s Fall Racing Recap By: Eileen Walsh ’16. The Marietta College Women’s Final. MC’s first varsity four (Huang, Transue, Meinert, Crew team competed in three different races last fall. Pendergrass, Hildebrandt) finished 10th in a time of With two eights, the women traveled north to the Head 20:07.62, the second varsity four (Platt, Jeswald, Westfield, of the Ohio in Pittsburgh, PA, then hosted a race on Jennings, Moore) finished 16th with a time of 20:53.09 and their very own Muskingum River, and finished the the third varsity four (Fontaine, Schleich, Grayson, Roger, season in Virginia on the beautiful Occoquan River. Wright) finished 33rd with a time of 22:41.5. The Head of the Ohio race took place on a windy The season was full of great workouts and long rows. The Saturday on the Ohio River, October 4, 2014. All teams team was not at all satisfied with the results and the faced 30mph head winds and sporadic rain and snow. women look forward to racing even better this spring. Our novice freshmen 4 boat (Alexis Fontaine, Danielle Roger, Lydia Jones, Britany Grayson, Helen Moore) finished in first place with a time of 21:06.75 and the women’s varsity eight (Platt, Hildebrandt, Jeswald, Women’s Rowing: Fall 2014 Race Pendergrass, Meinert, Westfield, Schleich, Transue, Jennings) raced the 5k in 16:12.140 which earned us a Results Summary 5th place finish against some good Division I competition. This was also one of the last raecs before Head of the Ohio the afternoon racing was cancelled due to the Novice 4: 1st of 6, 21:06.75 increasing severity of the weather and water Varsity 8: 5th of 17; 16:12.14 conditions. While the Marietta women were unable to race the Varsity fours in the afternoon they were glad to got to race at least once since many athletes returned Home Race vs. Washington University, home without racing. St. Louis st Just a few weeks later, the Lady Pios raced Washington Varsity 8: 1 , 23:03.8 University at home on the Muskingum River on 2nd Varsity 8: 2nd, 25:23.4 October 25. A new fall race, the “MC/Wash U Muskingum Shootout” is not usually on the schedule Head of the Occoquan for Marietta Rowing. The head race was 6000m, starting at the House of Wines restaurant, ending at the Varsity 8: 16 of 35; 18:53.52 Marietta College boathouse dock.