PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Marietta College women's rowing team put two shells into the women's Division III varsity 8+ Grand Final Saturday (May 11) afternoon at the 75th annual Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta.
The Pioneers' first varsity 8+ shell lineup of coxswain
Megan Oxley (Clarksburg, N.J./Allentown), stroke
Abigail Klicker (Avalon Borough, Pa./Northgate),
Katie Transue (Egg Harbor Township, N.J./Egg Harbor Township),
Ricci Davis (Marietta/Marietta),
April Pendergrass (Bethesda, Md./Walter Johnson),
Trisha Wendel (Chagrin Falls/Kenston),
Isabella Hildebrandt (Lakewood, Ohio/Rocky River),
Stephanie Meinert (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel Area) and
Alyse McNeill (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler Area) in the bow advanced straight to the Grand Final after winning its Friday heat.
The Second varsity 8+ crew made the Grand Final after finishing second in the repechage Saturday morning. Marietta recorded a time of 7:23.984 to qualify for the final race.
Marietta sat coxswain
Kara Goolman (Saint Johnsbury, Vt./Saint Johnsbury Academy), stroke
Erika Gill (Copley/Copley),
Brittany Stokes (Philadelphia, Pa./Academy of Notre Dame),
Eileen Walsh (Cherry Hill, N.J./Bishop Eustace),
Amanda Lusky (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler Area),
Anja Curwen (Carlisle Pa./St. Bouaventure),
Katie Williams (Mars, Pa./Mars),
Katherine Tedesco (Upper Arlington/Upper Arlington) and
Christina Beltran-Revilla (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel Area) in the bow in the second varsity shell.
With two of the six boats in the Grand Final, including the top-seeded 1V shell, the Pioneers were primed for a three-peat. However, the University of Rochester edged Marietta at the finish line to take the gold medal.
Rochester posted a winning time of 6:58.448, while the Pioneers 1V crossed in 7:04.688 to take the silver medal. The 2V crew posted a time of 7:27.790 to finish sixth.
Marietta's pair of
Allison Fultz (Great Falls, Va./Langley) and
Alycia Kime (Sicklerville, N.J./Winslow Township) was set to compete in the semifinals Saturday morning but was the victim of some bad luck that prevented them from racing. Prior to the start of the race a large wake caused by one of the officials' launches flipped Fultz and Kime forcing them to withdraw.
The Pioneers will now wait and see if they receive an at-large bid into the NCAA Division III Championship. The field for the NCAA Championship will be announced on Monday (May 13) at 7:00 p.m.
