ADDISON, Michigan — The Marietta College men's rowing team raced four shells at the Devil's Lake Invitational Saturday (April 16). The Pioneers entered the varsity eight race and had three boats in the varsity four division.

"It was good racing this weekend. Conditions were chilly and windy with an 8-12 mph headwind blowing straight up the race course," Marietta head coach Greg Myhr said. "With none of our competitors racing a second varsity eight, we decided to break our 2V down into fours to match our competition."

Marietta won its varsity eight heat beating Adrian to the line by nearly 13 seconds. The Pioneers crossed in 6:50.1 with Adrian finishing in 7:02.8.

The best race of the day was the varsity eight A final between Mercyhurst and Marietta. The two crews battled stroke for stroke over the entire 2,000 meters and Mercyhurst edged the Pioneers at the line. Mercyhurst won with a time of 6:21.8 with Marietta a second behind (6:22.9).

"Despite the outcome, this may be the best I've seen Marietta race since I've been here. We were down off the start, but clawed back in," Myhr said. "At several points in the race we took a several seat advantage, but Mercyhurst countered each time, pushing their bow ahead just before the finish line. It was an outstanding race from both crews!"

Marietta's top four won its heat by six seconds. The Pioneers posted a winning time of 7:32.4 advancing to the A final, followed by Mercyhurst LWT (7:38.7) and Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) (8:08.0).

The Pioneers' B and C fours both finished second in their heats and advanced to the B final. In the first heat, Adrian (7:58.4) won, followed by Marietta B (8:02.2) and MSOE C (8:42.1). In the second heat, Mercyhurst HWT (7:18.0) won, followed by Marietta C (7:58.0) and MSOE B (8:51.5).

Mercyhurst HWT won the A final with a time of 7:27.8. Marietta A (7:42.0) was second and Adrian (8:00.7) was third. Mercyhurst LWT won the B final crossing the line in 7:29.4, with Marietta B (7:37.1) second and Marietta C (7:54.2) third.

"Mercyhurst is a strong team, and they had our number today – in the Varsity Eight and in the Varsity Four," Myhr said. "But I'm encouraged with how our squad raced and the competitive toughness they showed. In doing so, they managed to push ahead of MSOE, as well as in front of a very quality Adrian squad."

Marietta travels to New York on Saturday (April 30) to compete in the Ithaca Invitational.

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. 

Results
Varsity 8+ Heat
1. Marietta (6:50.1), 2. Adrian (7:02.8)

Varsity 8+ A Final
1. Mercyhurst (6:21.8), 2. Marietta (6:22.9)

Coxswain: Duncan Fraser (Cleveland, Ohio/Saint Ignatius), Stroke: William Hoffman (Brigantine, N.J./Holy Spirit), 7: Dylan Dalpedri (Spring, Texas/The Woodlands), 6: George Riffle (San Diego, Calif./Point Loma), 5: Drayton Piper (Roswell, Ga./Roswell), 4: John Saunders (Buffalo, N.Y./Olmsted), 3: Joseph Madrid (Mineral Wells, W.Va./Parkersburg South), 2: Kade Hennacy (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington), Bow: Tyler Heldt (Tampa, Fla./Steinbrenner)


Varsity 4+ Heat 1
1. Adrian (7:58.4), 2. Marietta B (8:02.2), 3. Milwaukee School of Engineering C (8:42.1)

Varsity 4+ Heat 2
1. Mercyhurst HWT (7:18.0), 2. Marietta C (7:58.0), 3. Milwaukee School of Engineering B (8:51.5)

Varsity 4+ Heat 3
1. Marietta A (7:32.4), 2. Mercyhurst LWT (7:38.7), 3. Milwaukee School of Engineering A (8:08.0)

Varsity 4+ A Final
1. Mercyhurst HWT (7:27.8), 2. Marietta A (7:42.0), 3. Adrian (8:00.7)

Varsity 4+ B Final
1. Mercyhurst LWT (7:29.4), 2. Marietta B (7:37.1), 3. Marietta C (7:54.2)

Marietta A: Coxswain: Lara Coghlan (Dayton, Ohio/Centerville), Stroke: Matthew Rought (Mason, Ohio/Mason), 3: Jonathan McWhite (Bellingham, Mass./Bromfield), 2: Brett McGettigan (Ventnor City, N.J./Holy Spirit), Bow: Liam Sherman (Chicago, Ill.)

Marietta B: Coxswain: Katherine Russell (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield), Stroke: Anthony Calandra (Nokomis, Fla.), 3: Edmund Lynch (Marietta, Ga./Walton), 2: Gregorio Puntarelli (Houston, Texas/Memorial), Bow: Colby Pasour (Lincolnton, N.C./Highland)

Marietta C: Coxswain: Katherine Russell (Chesapeake, Va./Grassfield) (heat) / Johannah James (Folsom, Calif./Folsom) (final), Stroke: Adam Sarhan (Egg Harbor Twp., N.J.), 3: Brian Bonifas (Rocky River, Ohio), 2: Evan Saribalas (New Albany, Ohio/New Albany), Bow: Christian Schulitz (Pittsford, N.Y.)