Spring Break
Drexel crew teams participate in Dad Vail Regatta
By: Ali Qari
Issue date: 5/18/07 Section: Sports
Originally published: 5/18/07 at 1:17 AM EST
Last update: 5/18/07 at 1:25 AM EST
Originally published: 5/18/07 at 1:17 AM EST
Last update: 5/18/07 at 1:25 AM EST
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The women's varsity four had the most successful outing of all Drexel boats. It was the only Drexel boat to race in the semi-finals May 12. The team's fifth-place finish wasn't enough, as only the top two teams advance to the finals.
The Dragons' boat crossed the line in 7:48.63, nine seconds ahead of Wichita State's varsity four boat and 11 ticks behind Buffalo's boat, its next closest competitor.
Drexel women's varsity eight fought hard but lost two tight races and did not make it to the semi-finals. It needed a top-two finish in their heat to advance to one of the semi-finals races. They finished in third place, only 2.8 seconds behind second-place Alabama. They got another chance in the repechage race, but finished in third again, only 0.61 seconds behind second place Cal Irvine.
"We were anticipating doing better," women's coach Terah Schamberg said. "We should have beat [George] Mason. Maybe they peaked at the right time, at the Dad Vail, and we just peaked a week earlier."
Men's crew did not fair as well during the Dad Vail. A key factor however was the loss of freshman Chris Hillenbrand, who broke his elbow after the first-place finish at the Bergen Cup.
"Chris is one of our top performers this year," men's coach Joe Palmer said. "That kid's got a lot of horsepower. We missed him, but you can't show weakness."
In the preliminary heat, the Drexel men's varsity eight boat finished in fourth place and finished fourth again in the repechage race later in the day. Only a top-two finish in either of those races would have given the men's team a chance to compete in the semi-finals May 12.
