Explorers Grab Pair of Golds at 39th Memorial Murphy Cup Regatta

Men's Rowing | April 2, 2022

PHILADELPHIA – The La Salle men's and women's rowing teams opened their spring championship season on the Schuylkill River on Saturday afternoon, the men taking home a pair of golds in the 39^th Memorial Murphy Cup Regatta hosted by Temple.

"This was a historic weekend for La Salle men's rowing. All four boats made it in to the finals of their respective categories," said assistant coach Ivo Krakic. "It has been 9 years since La Salle has won gold at Murphy Cup. This time we did it twice."

The Men's Varsity 4+ saw all three La Salle boats finish in the top six, each boat making the finals. The varsity 4+ boat coxswained by Trevor Fawcett crossed the finish line with the fastest time of the 14 boat field, finishing in 6:34.620 to beat out the race hosts Temple boat by just under three seconds. Virgil Isola helped lead the second varsity boat to a fourth place finish while the third varsity boat coxxed by Elizabeth Boyle crossed sixth after winning their heat.

"The varsity four had a fantastic day, winning their heat and the final, the guys left everything on the course and captured a well deserved gold medal!" continued Krakic. "Our 2nd Varsity four was very impressive. They did not have much time in the lineup, however they managed to rise to the occasion and win their heat. They raced a very gutsy final and finished 4th. The Lightweight four punched well above their weight and were able to secure second place in the heat and move on to the grand final."

La Salle Women's Varsity 8+ took fourth in their heat and advanced to the Petite Final. only 13 seconds behind first place Georgetown and ten seconds ahead of Atlantic 10 competitor, George Mason.

This is the first time in 9 years that a La Salle Women's Varsity 8+ has advanced to the finals at Murphy Cup.

In the Petite Final, the Explorers placed fifth, 4.2 seconds ahead of Colgate. The women battled in bow-ball to bow-ball racing, with just 4.8 seconds separating first place from fifth place.

The 2nd Varsity 8+, lead by stern pair Emma James and Isabel Stevens, had their best race to date, finishing third in their heat with a time of 7:04.64, behind second place Delaware and first place Temple.

"To say I'm proud of these two eights of women is an understatement, they've taken everything we've worked on these past few weeks and executed in a high-pressure, high-stakes race against the best teams around," said assistant coach Kelsey Franks. "We've turned heads this weekend, and we still have more speed to gain in the coming weeks...we are absolutely pumped."

The final race of the afternoon for the Explorers saw the debut of La Salle's newest boat – the Sean A. Hughes, 92'. The Explorers team made good on the debut, crossing the line ahead of the two other entries in the Men's Collegiate Novice 4+ to take gold with a time of 6:29.43, almost 19 seconds quicker than the boats from Drexel and Fairfield.

"The Freshmen four raced in the new Sean A. Hughes, '92' shell and showcased the new La Salle stroke that we have been building," said Krakic. "They rowed very long, powerful and controlled race and were able to capture the win by open water over Drexel."

"Overall, I am so proud of this team and their efforts today. This was a great jumpstart to the rest of our season and we are looking forward to next weekend at Knecht Cup," concluded Krakic.

RESULTS
Men's Collegiate Varsity 4+

La Salle 'A', 6:34.62
Temple 'A', 6:37.06
Temple 'B', 6:54.56
La Salle 'B', 6:59.35
Fordham, 7:01.84
La Salle 'C', 7:02.43

Women's Collegiate Varsity 8+ (Petite Final)