May 17, 2006

FAIRFIELD, CT - Sacred Heart seniors rowed their final collegiate races Sunday at the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Crew Championships in Fairfax County, Virginia. In a mixed state of bliss and melancholy, Casey Lyth, Desiree Johnston, Erin Nash and Angelica McKessy relished their moments on the course and then bid their team farewell. Graduate-student Alison Daly also exhausted her eligibility this day after coxing SHU's novice 4+ to silver in an eleven-boat fleet.

Fine weather, successful results and vast parental support made this regatta a fitting end to the seniors' careers. The team's smaller boats fared better in overall racing, netting three silvers for the day.

Freshman Ashley Stearns raced in the Women's Single Scull event. After only a handful of practices in the most challenging boat of all--the single--Ashley rowed the 2000m course in 10: 26.7, following in second place behind R. Morris with a time of 9:35.4.

Sophomore Caitlin Rousseau and junior Caroline Picknally teamed up again in the Women's Pairs race, winning silver. The pair finished 2 seconds behind first place, John Hopkins and well ahead the rest of the competitors: SUNY Maritime, R. Morris, Maryland and St John's.

Sacred Heart's Varsity 4+, with junior Ladouceur and three seniors Lyth, Johnston and Nash, achieved its goal of qualifying for the grand final. Battling with Catholic for third place, the Pioneer V4+ dug in--finishing 3 seconds ahead of Catholic, earning a lane for SHU in the grand final where they place fifth behind: Penn State, Carnegie Mellon, Wentworth and George Mason.

Grad Student coxswain Ali Daly led her Novice 4+ crew (Amy Dion, Kristina Dolan, Katie Schlosser and Jillian Crisci) to a second place finish in their heat, placing second to R. Morris and ahead of JHU, St John's and Wentworth. In the final, the Sacred Heart Novice 4+ placed second to powerful Penn State with third place UMW only 2 seconds behind in third, followed by R. Morris in fourth, JHU in fifth and Catholic in sixth.

The Pioneer Novice 8+ crew (Jessica Roberts, Erika Spadofora, Lilah Rossi, Katherine Irizzary, Elizabeth Willmott, Ann Marie Vecchiollo, Mallory Berko, Emily Keogler and coxswain Ali Daly) finished fourth in their petite final behind first place American, GMU and Penn State.

In the Varsity 8+ Division 1 final, Sacred Heart (Caitlin Rousseau, Caroline Picknally, Ivanna Williams, Jessica McCarthy, Ashley Stearns, Alycia Noeth, Melissa Allen and Angelica McKessy) placed fourth behind first place winner George Mason University followed by UMW in second, and Loyola in third. Senior rower Desiree Johnston coxed her first race--which also happened to be her last collegiate race-- when a hot-boat situation prevented coxswain Ali Daly from competing in this event. To view complete results click on the following link:

COMPLETE RESULTS