Oct. 12, 2004

FAIRFIELD, CT - SHU Crews proved themselves again this weekend at two local regattas--the Head of the Housatonic regatta on Saturday and the Head of the Connecticut Regatta on Sunday.

Sacred Heart's Novice 4+ launched for an early event on the Housatonic Saturday in a borrowed boat and a scratch lineup, proving their resiliency by winning their category. While college results were culled from high school, club and masters women in the event, only six crews of the entire 27 boat fleet rowed faster.

Stroke Brittany Turner, Laurie Ladouceur, Caitlin Rousseau, Shelley Solheim and cox Ali Daly romped the 2.8 mile course in 19:48.70 to take the gold, a full minute and more faster than crews from Clark University (2), SUNY Stony Brook, and Assumption College.

The same crew, minus Solheim but with the help of Jessica McCarthy, Kristen Mullane, Gina Baldi, Ashley Nissen, Angelica McKessy and cox Sarah Kolb took silver in the N8+ event at the end of the day. Rowing second only to Yale University, the crew beat Clark University by more than three minutes with a time of 18:47.06.

SHU varsity lightweights Stacey Lyons, Lauren Humphrey, Meghan Casale and novice Shelley Solheim won the LW4+ event with the help of novice cox Johanna Cappozzoli, taking gold from Albany Rowing Center with a time of 20:20.31.

SHU varsity openweights Desiree Johnston, Liz Cameron, Casey Lyth, lightweight Stacey Lyons and cox Cappozzoli rowed the open 4+ event in 18:41.95, placing eighth of eleven in tough competition mid-day; V8+ Johnston, Erin Nash, Ali Daly, Beth Buco, Ashley Pratt, Caroline Picknally, Sarah Kolb, Meghan Casale and cox Shelley Solheim placed 14 of 15 against crews from Yale, Northeastern, Holy Cross, Skidmore and others with a time of 19:45.01.

On Sunday, many Sacred Heart athletes who had rowed twelve miles the previous day with six of those miles at pressure rowed again at the Head of the Connecticut Regatta in Middletown.

Varsity crew Lyons, Lyth, Cameron, Humphrey and cox Cappozzolli rowed the Champion 4+ event in a field of 32 competitors, placing 26th with a time of 22:49.89 on the 3 mile course, ahead of crews from Sarah Lawrence, Assumption (2), Brandeis, NYU, Cazenovia and Peter J. Sharp Rowing Club.

SHU's N8+ placed 7th of 11 in a time of 24:41.56, after being forced off the course in the finish chute and entangling to a stop with University of New Brunswick St. John, who somehow won the protest and finished ahead of Sacred Heart by one position. Wesleyan, Trinity B, Mt. Holyoke and Roger Williams fell at the hands of Sacred Heart.

The V8+ struggled later in the day and finished last in a field of 26 crews, among whom Brown University, Fordham U., Wesleyan, University of Vermont, Mt Holyoke College, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and UMASS Amherst dominated.