The Triangle

Issue date: 5/15/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Olivia Garrity

The Drexel crew teams made their presence felt on the Schuylkill River as their season came to an end with the Dad Vail Regatta May 8-9, the largest collegiate regatta in the country.

The women's varsity eight boat placed fifth, while the Dragons' best outing of the day was from the men's lightweight four, who placed fourth in its grand final. The men's novice eight, men's varsity pair, men's novice eight, and women's novice eight, also made it to the grand finals in each of their respective races. It was the first time the Dragons sent five boats to the grand finals since 1997 and the first time any Drexel boat made it to the grand finals within the last five years.

The women's varsity eight's race plan was the same as the one it had for its Bergen Cup victory, but the water and competition proved to be too tough for the Dragons to triumph for yet another first-place finish.

"We knew this would be the most difficult race we have ever competed in," Vanessa Clifford, a senior rower on the women's varsity eight boat, said. "The water was pretty rough. We came out and were struggling to maintain the lead we had kept in the other races for the first 1000 meters. We had a solid middle 1000 meters as we always do and as we came through the wire into the 400 meters we were passed. I don't know exactly what happened."

The women's varsity eight, while placing ahead of last year's champion Purdue, had to settle for fifth place, which didn't earn it a spot on the medal dock.

"I'm satisfied with making it to the grand finals, but I not satisfied with fifth place," Clifford said. "I'll forever look back and wonder what it was that couldn't bring us to the medal dock. I wanted that more than anything and I don't know when I'll be able to get over that."

The men's lightweight four, having only competed in one previous regatta prior to the Dad Vail Regatta, placed second in its semifinal, earning it a spot in the grand finals where it placed ahead of Emory and rival St. Joe's.

"I was satisfied with our finish, but we were two-and-a-half off of second place," Ryan Dorr, a rower on the men's lightweight four boat, said. "But it was still my best experience competition-wise. It was the crowning point of my entire five years here."

And with all of the strides the Dragons have made this season, they don't want to wait another five years before having a boat participate in a grand final race at the Dad Vail Regatta again. But they may not have to wait as the men's and women's novice boats each placed in grand finals. The future looks very bright for the Drexel crew teams.

"I think we have a really strong future because we can only go up from here," Cate Khella, coxin for the men's novice eight, said. "We don't want to back down and it's pretty evident in the way we rowed especially in the semifinal."

The women's varsity eight boat has the same outlook.

"I think that we showed a lot of guts [at Dad Vails]," Megan Schluckebier, a rower on the women's varsity eight boat, said. "But there is still a lot of room for improvement for a very bright future."

Now, with the season over, all of the Dragons' boats can hold their heads high - as it was one vast improvement from their previous years as a program. And when the next season begins, the Dragons look to build on their achievements from 2009.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools