MARIETTA, Ohio — Both the Marietta College men's and women's rowing teams will be in action this Saturday (March 19) afternoon. The Pioneer men will host Purdue University in the 64th annual Challenge Cup, while the women welcome the crews from Purdue and the University of Dayton.
Racing is set to begin at 4:00 p.m. and continue throughout the afternoon on the 2,000-meter Ohio River course. The starting line for the races will be near the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center and Headquarters and the races will finish near the Valley Gem Sternwheeler on Front Street in Marietta.
The Marietta women spent spring break training on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Ga., while the men spent last week training on campus. This will be the first race of the spring season for both squads.
The men's varsity 8+ crews from Marietta and Purdue will go head-to-head for the Challenge Cup, which has not been run since 2019. Marietta Head Coach
Greg Myhr is excited to get back on the river.
"This race ranks right up there with all of the oldest traditional rowing cup races nationally – and it's a special one for our alums and for our athletes," says Coach Myhr. "We haven't squared off against each other since 2019, when we were soundly beaten. Purdue is a strong and deep team – this is the first race of the year for both squads, with many unknowns to be answered for both teams. We've taken some nice strides in our training, but race day is its own animal. We're hoping we have enough in the tank to give a good showing!"
The women's varsity 8+ crew will begin the festivities at 4:00 p.m. as they battle the University of Dayton as well as Purdue's women's team. "We're excited to open up our spring racing season this weekend against University of Dayton and Purdue University on our home course," says Women's Rowing Head Coach
Abby Lord. "Both of these teams have deep rosters and are strong competitors. Should be a good day of racing!"
Those that would like to watch the races can access the Valley Gem Sternwheeler at 601 Front Street in Marietta. The loading will start at 3 p.m. and the Gem will launch at 3:30 p.m. They will return after the last race.
Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
