Women's Rowing | May 14, 2022

CHERRY HILL, N.J. – The La Salle women's rowing team competed at the Atlantic 10 Championships on Saturday morning, highlighted by a gold medal in the petite final from the Varsity 8+ on the Cooper River. The gold medal effort proved the best finish for the Explorers since 2012.
 
"Today was a culmination of all our hard work this entire year," said assistant coach Kelsey Franks. "Our 2V had a fantastic showing, outperforming George Mason in both the head and the final to solidify an eighth place finish."

Opening up on the waters for the Explorers was the Second Varsity 8+ boat, coxswained by Brisa Barrios. With a five boat competition in the opening heat, the Explorers finished just a spot off a qualification to the Grand Finals later in the day, settling for fourth behind perennial powerhouse UMass and 18 seconds ahead of George Mason in fifth place.

"The 1V had a historic performance," continued Franks. "They won the petite final by open water for the first time in 10 years." 

The Varsity 8+ followed their counterparts, competing in the second heat of the prelims for a spot in the Grand Finals. After a strong start, the Explorers sat in third heading into both the 500m and 1000m mark ahead of their Philly rivals Saint Joseph's. The young crew, which consists of only one upperclassman, tailed off in the third 500 leg, ceding their place to the Hawks. The final stretch saw La Salle make one final push, but wasn't enough to close the gap as the Explorers settled for fourth in the heat and a spot in the Petite Finals.
 
In the Petite Finals of the Second Varsity 8+ race, the Explorers were paired with boats from Dayton and George Mason. After defeating the Patriots in the opening race, La Salle had similar success to finish 10 seconds ahead of the Fairfax, Va. side. Unfortunately, the Explorers didn't have quite enough gas to catch up to the Flyers, finishing second in the second finals.
 
A decent start to the race in the Petite Finals of the Varsity 8+ race saw the Explorers and the Dukes of Duquesne neck and neck in the opening couple hundreds of meters, La Salle edging the first 500m by nearly a quarter of a boat. The Explorers kept that speed, increasing the lead to nearly a boat length as they hit the halfway mark. Despite any challenge the Dukes tried to mount to overcome their deficit, the Explorers held off with ease as they comfortably finished with a five second advantage with a time of 7:21.73, improving their time by 12 seconds from the morning. The gold medal in the Petite Finals proved the best finish for the Explorers in a decade, last achieving a similar or better feat in 2012.
 
"In the last two conference championships combined, we earned a total of 13 points," stated Franks. "This year, we earned 13 points in one day, the most La Salle has earned in over 10 years. While most teams treated today as the ending of a season or chapter - we have our entire A10s squad returning next year; so for us, this is just the beginning." 

Rhode Island secured the team championship, making it the fourth straight for the Rams and fifth in the last six championships. The women produced their best team finish since 2003, placing 8^th in front of George Mason.

Alongside with the gold medal performance in the petite finals, Natalie Dee was selected to the All-Conference team, making a Second Team appearance.

"I can't imagine a better representative from our team to be named to the A-10 All-Conference Second Team," said Franks. Natalie has the tenacity, leadership and selfless attitude that has been admired by her teammates and coaches alike.  

RESULTS
Second Varsity 8+ (Heat 1)

1. Rhode Island                     7:20.45
2. Fordham                             7:23.39
3. UMass                                 7:32.43
4. La Salle                               8:01.23
5. George Mason                  8:19.41

 
Second Varsity 8+ (Petite Finals)

1. Dayton                                7:43.48
2. La Salle                               8:04.29
3. George Mason                  8:14.22

 
Varsity 8+ (Heat 2)

1. Rhode Island                     7:09.66
2. George Washington        7:13.39
3. Saint Joseph's                   7:24.40
4. La Salle                               7:33.64

 
Varsity 8+ (Petite Finals)

1. La Salle                               7:21.73
2. Duquesne                           7:25.01
3. George Mason                  7:31.24

First Team All-Conference

Colleen McDonnell, UD
Brianna McDonagh, DUQ
Maren Geier, FOR
Ananda Smith, GW
Emma Altiz, GW
Michelle Mulcahy, UMass
Grace White, UMass
Jennae Alexander, URI
Catie Castle, URI
Kathy Seglen, URI
Molly Duncan, SJU

Second Team All-Conference
Elizabeth Kerrigan, FOR
Maja Gunz, FOR
Grace Moody, MASON
Lauren Bolton, GW
Elizabeth Rowland, GW
Natalie Dee, LAS
Me Koelsch, UM
Anna Sampson, URI
Allie Ruck, SJU
 

LINEUPS
Second Varsity 8+
C – Brisa Barrios
8 – Emma James
7 – Izzie Stevens
6 – Caleigh McMenamin-Martinez
5 – Audrey Allen
4 – Marissa Paul
3 – Olivia Rotondo
2 – Madelyne Groatman
1 – Kyra Baldassarra
 
Varsity 8+
C – Maddy Clune
8 – Natalie Dee
7 – Meghan Lyons
6 – Clare Cornish
5 – Kate Vasey
4 – Sarah Reed
3 – Melissa Russo
2 – Lily Henshaw
1 – Avery Morris