DARTMOUTH COLLEGE Women’s roWING 2007 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP MEDIA NOTES DARTMOUTH CREW QUICKFACTS BIG GREEN AT A GLANCE Location: ......................................................................Hanover, N.H. The Dartmouth women’s crew team is making Founded: .......................................................................................1769 its fourth NCAA appearance in program history. Enrollment: ................................................................................4,300 The Big Green is one of five squads from the Affiliation: ............................................................. NCAA Division I powerful Eastern Association of Women’s Row- Conference: ......................................................Ivy League/EAWRC ing Colleges (EAWRC) to appear at this year’s Nickname: .......................................................................... Big Green Championships. Yale, Brown, Princeton and Ra- Colors: ...............................................Dartmouth Green and White cliffe (Harvard) will all have full teams at the College President: ................................................... James Wright Championship, while Dartmouth’s varsity eight Athletic Director:......................................................Josie Harper received one of four at-large bids. Head Coach: ................................Wendy Levash (Princeton ’98) Last time it raced, Dartmouth’s varsity eight Record at Dartmouth (Yrs): .......................................18-6 (2) Assistant Coaches: .......................... Amelia Siani (Cornell ’04) took fifth in a close final at the Eastern Sprints, .................................................................... Rick Gherst (Vermont ’97) behind the EAWRC’s other qualifiers. Captain: ................................................................Anne Kennedy ’07 The selection committee rewarded the Big Green for going 11-4 in cup competition this NCAA Appearances: ...........................................................Three season, including two wins over Radcliffe and ............................................................1997 & 1998 (Team), 1999 (V8) two-second loss to Princeton. Best Finish (Yr): ............................................ Eighth (1997, 1998) Dartmouth has been to the NCAA Champi- onship on three prior occasions. The full Dart- Sports Info Contact: ....................................................... Dara Ely mouth team qualified in both 1997 and 1998, fin- Phone: ............................................................................603-359-0905 ishing eighth each time. In 1999, the varsity eight E-Mail: ...................................................... [email protected] received an at-large bid and finished 11th. Website: ........................................... www.DartmouthSports.com Since 1997, six of the NCAA Women’s Row- ing Team Championships have been won by EAWRC crews, with Brown taking home five, 2007 DARtmouth Women’s CREW including a share of the 2006 team crown. An CUP RACES: 11-4/4-2 IVY EAWRC school has finished second in six of the Date Opponent Finish Record contests as well, including the last four. 3/31 at Boston College 1st of 3 2-0 w/Northeastern 4/7 at Boston University 3rd of 4 3-2 (0-1 Ivy) w/ Minnesota, Yale* 4/14% USC, Radcliffe*, Syracuse 2nd of 4 5-3 (1-1 Ivy) 4/15% Radcliffe,* Texas 1st of 3 7-3 (2-1 Ivy) 4/15% Massachusetts 1st of 2 8-3 (2-1 Ivy) 4/21 at Princeton* 2nd of 4 10-4 (3-2 Ivy) w/ Bucknell, Penn* 4/28 at Cornell* 1st of 2 11-4 (4-2 Ivy) 5/13 EAWRC Sprints Grand Final 5th of 6 % Charles River Challenge * Ivy Opponent WENDY LEVASH AMELIA SIANI HEAD COACH ASSISTANT COACH SecoND SEASON SecoND SEASON PRINCETOn ’98 coRNEll ’04 In her first season as head Amelia Siani has been coach, Wendy Levash led coaching at Dartmouth the Dartmouth women’s since Fall 2005. A former crew to its first appearance standout rower at Cornell, in the varsity eight grand final at the Eastern Sprints she graduated in 2004 and began coaching at the high since 1998. By 2007, the Big Green varsity eight re- school level. Siani was a four-year member of the Big turned to the NCAA Championship for the first time Red women’s rowing team and served as a co-captain in eight years. during the 2003-04 season. She was a member of the Excited by the challenge of rebuilding the women’s 2000 U.S. Junior National team and began rowing at team, Levash joined the Dartmouth athletics staff in Community Rowing in Boston. August of 2005 after seven years of coaching in the Ivy In her first year at Dartmouth, Siani led the nov- League. ice women’s crew to bronze and gold medal finishes The Eastern Association of Women’s Rowing Col- at the Eastern Sprints in the first and second novice leges (EAWRC) Novice Coach of the Year in 2002, eights respectively. Levash led her Princeton University freshman crews Siani graduated cum laude and majored in environ- to undefeated seasons and gold medals at the Eastern ment and society. She was named to the Dean’s List Sprints in 2002 and 2004. Her 2003 freshmen captured four times and won the Leanne Ritter Memorial Award a silver medal at the Sprints. for achievement in rowing and academics. She was a Prior to her stint with the Tigers, Levash spent Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Divi- three years molding the Cornell first novice eight into sion I National Scholar Athlete and a CRCA Mid-At- a championship crew. During her final season in Ithaca lantic first team all-region selection in 2003 and 2004. in 2001, she was named the EAWRC Novice Coach of the Year after leading her crew to an undefeated season and a gold medal at the Eastern Sprints. RICK GHERST A standout rower in her own right, Levash cap- ASSISTANT COACH tained the 1998 Princeton crew. She won a gold medal FIRST SEASON at the Eastern Sprints in 1995 as a member of the VERMOnt ’97 first novice eight and struck gold again at the Sprints in 1997 as a member of the first varsity eight. Levash A 1997 graduate of the also competed in the first two NCAA championship University of Vermont, regattas in 1997 and 1998. Gherst is in his first season A 1998 magna cum laude graduate of Princeton at Dartmouth. Prior to ar- with a B.A. in ecology and evolutionary biology, Levash riving in Hanover, he spent six years as the head men’s won the Leslie K. Johnson Memorial Award for out- coach at the University of Rhode Island. In 2004 his standing senior thesis work in 1998. She lives in varsity eight took bronze at the ECAC Invitational and Quechee, Vt. where she enjoys running with her dogs, made the program’s first ever trip to the Henley Royal Phoebe and Roscoe. Regatta. A former coxswain, Gherst won numerous medals on the collegiate and national level, and competed at the 1996 World Championships in Strathclyde, Scot- land. Ghert’s background in coxing allows him to work closely with the Big Green coxswains in developing all aspects of their role both on and off the water. Gherst also serves as the boatman for all three of Dartmouth’s crew teams. DARTMOUTH VaRSITY EIGHT JAMIE BERGESON - BRITT OUSTERHOUT BRADSHAW JUNIOR JUNIOR SEAT: FIVE SEAT: TWO LAKE FOREST, ILL. PORTLAND, ORE. (LINcoLN) (LAKE FOREST) LAURA BOZZUTO KATHRYN TWYMAN SENIOR SOPHOMORE SEAT: COXSWAIN SEAT: SEVEN HOLLIS, N.H. EDMONTON, ALTA. (HOLLIS-BROOKLINE) (ST. FRANCIS XAVIER) NICOLE BERTUCCI JUNIOR SEAT: FOUR VARSITY 8 LINEUP FaIRPORT, N.Y. (FaIRPORT) C: Laura Bozzuto 8: Anne Kennedy 7: Kathryn Twyman KATE DAVISON 6: Kate Davison SENIOR 5: Britt Ousterhout SEAT: SIX 4: Nicole Bertucci BEDFORD, N.H. 3: Molly Fales (DERRYFIELD) 2: Jamie Bergeson-Bradshaw 1: Kelli Hvorecny MOLLY FALES SPARES JUNIOR 8: Laura Gardner; 1: Kate Harney SEAT: THREE CARBONdaLE, COLO. (MIDDLESEX) KELLY HVORECNY LAURA GARDNER SENIOR FRESHMAN SEAT: BOW (ONE) SEAT: STROKE (EIGHT) KINTNERSVILLE, PA. NEWTON, MASS. (paLISADES) (NEWTON SOUTH) ANNE KENNEDY KATE HARNEY SENIOR (CAPTAIN) SOPHOMORE SEAT: STROKE (EIGHT) SEAT: BOW (ONE) coopeRSTOWN, N.Y. PITTSFORD, N.Y. (COOPERSTOWN CENTRAL) (PITTSFORD-MENDON) Dartmouth is 2-4 in cup racing this season SELECTION QUOTES: against crews that have qualified for the NCAA HEAD COACH WENDY LEVASH Championship, including Yale, Minnesota, South- ern California, Radcliffe (Harvard) and Prince- On the NCAA Selection: ton. The Big Green was 0-4 against qualifiers, “This is the first time we have been invited since 1999 and including Brown, at the Eastern Sprints. getting an NCAA bid has been our team goal since day one and everyone has been working with that in mind. Although 2007 RACE-BY-RACE only 11 athletes are making the trip, this truly is a product March 31 Dartmouth 6:44.7 1st of 3 of an entire team effort.” Charles River Northeastern 6:45.3 Boston Coll. 7:07.4 Dartmouth’s seniors: “We have a small, but talented, senior class and this was April 7 Yale* 6:52.35 3rd of 4 their last chance to qualify. To see their reaction was unbe- Charles River Minnesota* 6:57.36 lievable - they were crying, yelling with joy and so excited.” Dartmouth 6:59.78 Boston Univ. 7:15.03 Building for the future: April 14 USC* 7:19.4 2nd of 4 “This is huge opportunity for our rowers to recognize that Charles River Dartmouth 7:40.1 they belong with the fastest crews and prove that they have Radcliffe* 7:42.1 a place in that top-16. This will be something for us to build Syracuse 7:52.6 on and to prove why we should continue to be here, as one boat or a full team, in the future.” April 15 Dartmouth 6:55.7 1st of 3 Charles River Radcliffe* 7:00.0 Texas 7:12.4 CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY Year Finish Winner Second Location April 15 Dartmouth 6:49.0 1st of 2 1997 8th Washington Princeton Rancho Cordova, Charles River UMass 6:58.2 Calif. 1998 8th Washington Brown Gainesville, Ga. April 21 Princeton* 6:39.6 2nd of 4 1999 11th* Brown Virginia Rancho Cordova, Carnegie Lake Dartmouth 6:41.6 Calif. Penn 6:44.5 *Varsity Eight only Bucknell 6:48.8 Familiar Territory April 28 Dartmouth 6:37.7 1st of 2 Cayuga Lake Cornell 6:53.6 While this marks the first time that Tennessee has played host to the Championship field, Dartmouth is quite familiar Eastern Sprints with the host site.