ROCHESTER, NY -- The RIT women's crew squad raced this weekend in the 21st annual Head of the Genesee Regatta, held on the Genesee River as it winds through Genesee Valley Park. The Regatta was the headlining event of the City of Rochester's River Romance Weekend and draws many people to the banks of the Genesee. The Regatta featured a unique two race format, with a 5,000 meter head race in the morning and a 1,500 meter sprint in the afternoon.
The women's varsity 8 finished ninth overall in the collegiate division. Their 5,000-meter time of 18:15.36 paired them with SUNY Buffalo's B boat in the afternoon sprint race. The Tigers edged SUNY Buffalo by just over a second with a time of 5:15.12. RIT's boat was powered by coxswain
Alyssa Mulholland (Newbergh, NY/Newbergh Free Academy), stroke
Allison LaChance (Pompey, NY/Fabius-Pompey), seven seat
Ariel Leitao (Newton, MA/Tabor Academy), six seat
Sam Whalen (Westfield, MA/Westfield), five seat
Ashley Pastor (Poughkeepsie, NY/F.D. Roosevelt), four seat
Kristina Lozar (Brooklyn, NY/Adelphi Academy), three seat
Alex King (Wilmington, DE/St. Elizabeth), two seat
Becca Laymon (Huntsville, AL/Catholic) and bow
Erica Gantz (Rosendale, NY/Rondout Valley). Ithaca won the 22 boat collegiate division with a time of 17:29.93 and a sprint time of 5:03.70.
The Tigers’ varsity 4 finished fifth of six crews overall, winning their afternoon sprint against D’Youville College. RIT rowed the 5,000-meter course in 20:57.15 and their sprint time of 6:08.76 gave them open water on D’Youville. The line-up featured coxswain
Eileen Kobal (Erie, PA/Fairview), stroke Morgan Mowins, three seat
Allison Doster (Syracuse, NY/LaFayette), two seat
Erin Mooney (Dayton, OH/Oakwood) and bow
Emily Burns (Annapolis, MD/Broadneck).
In their first race of the season, the Tiger’s novice 8 navigated the 5,000m course in 22:55.26. The line-up was comprised of coxswain Emma Marsch, stroke Morgan Mowins, seven seat Kim Gerwig, six seat Danielle Breslin, five seat Maddie Burke, four seat Carol Records, three seat Mary Medino, two seat Angela Mastrogiacomo and bow Laura Battisti. “The novices had a great showing today. We couldn’t be prouder of their determination and composure.” Coach Freddie Yust said. “The next two weeks will be very important as we build on this first racing experience.”
Brick City Homecoming and Family Weekend brought many alumni and family to the Regatta to support the crews. RIT raced a mixed Alumni 8, with grads spanning the last five years in a showdown with the University of Rochester’s alumni boat. The Tigers’ put in a solid race, and will have two more opportunities to represent RIT in alumni boats this fall, at the Head of the Charles and the Head of the Fish regattas.
The Tigers next race is Sunday, October 26, when they finish out the fall head racing season at the Head of the Fish Regatta in Saratoga Springs, NY.