Pioneer Navy's Varsity 4+ wins silver medal at SIRA Championship
Marietta's F/N 4+ and F/N 8+ compete in Petite Finals

April 20, 2008
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — The Pioneer Navy’s Varsity 4+ earned a silver medal to highlight the crew’s performance at this weekend’s (April 19-20) 41st annual Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) Championship on Melton Hill Lake. In addition to the silver medal, Marietta won the Petite Final in the Freshmen/Novice 4+ and took 10th in the Freshmen/Novice 8+.

Junior stroke Mitch Paskawych (Marietta), sophomore Mike Flanagan (Absecon, N.J./Holy Spirit), sophomore Andrew Hazelrigg (Orlando, Fla./Olympia), sophomore bow John Porter (Potomac, Md./Walt Whitman) and sophomore coxswain Rita McCoy (Lansdowne, Pa./Archbishop Prendergast) teamed up once again to row the Varsity 4+. The shell opened the competition on Saturday with a first place finish in its heat, rowing a 7:23.00; Central Florida (7:28.44) took runner-up. The Pioneers then advanced to the Grand Finals with a second place finish in their semifinal. Dayton (6:52.00) won the race, while Marietta (6:56.47) was right behind. The result was the same Sunday’s Grand Final, as the Flyers (7:02.58) beat the Pioneers (7:06.58) to the line to win the gold. Rollins (7:06.88) placed third.

Assistant Coach JP Sekulich was forced to adjust his lineups this weekend in the Freshmen/Novice 4+ and the Freshmen/Novice 8+ because of an injury. Stroke Zach Burgess (Ashland), Zach Mateja (King of Prussia, Pa./Upper Merion), Gregory Clair (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic), bow Michael Cute (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic) and coxswain Kristina Markman (Columbia, Md./Atholton) made up the F/N 4+, while stroke Devin Turley (Herdon, Va./Westfield), Zach McGurk (Alexandria, Va./Bishop O'Connell), William Charlton (New Vernon, N.J./Berkshire), Stephen Baranoski (Meriden, Conn./Xavier), Niklas Von Kuczkowski (Hanover, Germany/Culver Military Academy), Daniel Bratton (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic), Daniel Mills (Fairport, N.Y.), bow Nathan Capers (Orlando, Fla./Edgewater) and coxswain Thomas Dougherty (Lansdowne, Pa./Monsignor Bonner) comprised the F/N 8+.

The F/N 4+ began the weekend with a second place finish to Florida in its heat. The Gators completed the race in 7:21.30, while the Pioneers finished in 7:39.14. Marietta then took fourth in the semifinal to land in the Petite Final. Temple (7:01.70) won the semi, while Rollins (7:24.48), Murray State (7:28.07) and Marietta (7:28.49) finished second through fourth, respectively. The Pioneers made the most of their Petite Final appearance by winning the race in 7:27.90. Central Florida (7:33.10) was the closest competitor in the field.

The F/N 8+ started the championship with a third place finish in its opening heat, crossing the line in 6:32.18. Delaware (6:25.89) won the heat, while Georgia Tech (6:31.00) was second. In the semifinal, Virginia (6:14.30) placed first, Georgia Tech (6:17.73) took second, Purdue (6:19.10) was third and Marietta (6:19.58) just missed a trip to the Grand Final with a fourth place finish. The Pioneers then moved to the Petite Final on Sunday, where they took fourth with a time of 6:32.33. St. Joseph’s (6:23.90), Dayton (6:25.24) and Grand Valley State (6:26.59) all finished ahead of Marietta in the race.

The Pioneers will return to the water on Saturday (April 26) morning when they compete at the Indianapolis College Championship on Eagle Creek.