Men's Rowing | 5/6/2013 1:21:00 PM
WHITNEY POINT, NY – The RIT men's crew squads raced with true grit at the New York State Collegiate Rowing Championships held on Dorchester Lake on Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5.
The Men's Open four of #
Lianna Potrikus (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna)#, #
Sean Kennelly (Mendon, VT/Rutland)#, #
David Gasser (New Milford, CT/New Milford)#, #
Jon Massari (Wilton, CT/Wilton)#, and #
Chris Massey (Greenlawn, NY/Harborfields)# won the event in grand style with a length or two of open water over the rest of the field. The Tigers won gold with a time of 6:24.90, West Point was second in a time of 6:32.44, University of Buffalo third, Hobart fourth, Vassar B fifth, and NYU sixth.
Head Coach
Jim Bodenstedt commented after their race, “I am extremely proud of this crew. For four of them racing in the final was their fourth race of the weekend because they were doubling up in the men's eight event and this one. Mentally, they had to get over their disappointment of not making the grand final in the eight on Saturday, having to race in the petite final earlier this morning where they faced disappointment again finishing second behind Saint Lawrence University. Fatigue was setting in but I had warned them of this all week. In our pre-race talk we spoke of going to the well one more time and digging deep. Luckily their fitness level held. These guys train hard, race hard, and have fun as a result. I think they're pleased and we look forward to next weekend's racing.”
The Tigers have struggled the last couple of years to make the grand final at States in the priority, men's varsity eight event. Always on the cusp, this year's crew struggled with consistency. From bow to stern, the crew of #
Chad Monkhouse (Allegany, NY/Allegany-Limestone)#, #
Keith Martin (Poughkeepsie, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes)#, #
Chris Donnelly (Walton, NY/Walton )#, #
Eric Schulken (Mount Pleasant, SC/Academic Magnet)#, #
Jon Massari (Wilton, CT/Wilton)#, #
Chris Massey (Greenlawn, NY/Harborfields)#, #
Sean Kennelly (Mendon, VT/Rutland)#, and #
Lianna Potrikus (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna)# had high hopes for States after a very strong race at the Liberty League Rowing Championships last weekend where they finished second behind Hobart, but ahead of Union, St. Lawrence, and Skidmore. RIT's men's varsity eight finished second in the petite final with a time of 6:30.24, behind the Saints, placing them eighth overall out of eleven crews.
But the future remains bright for the Tigers. The men's novice eight won a silver medal on Sunday, showing their power, grit, and natural speed over the field. A fast West Point crew won the race in a time of 6:23.69, two lengths of open water over the Tigers who finished in a time of 6:39.09. The crew of #
Steven Smith (Buffalo, NY/East Aurora)#, #
Jordan Short (Gill, MA/Northfield Mount Hermon)#, #
Justin Carter (Brockport, NY/Brockport)#, #
Dylan Bannon (Amherst, MA/Amherst Regional)#, #
Jacob Chernick (Longmeadow, MA/Longmeadow)#, #
Pat McGaw (Potsdam, NY/Canton)#, #
Rob Newell (Jamestown, NY/Southwestern)#, #
Evan Cincotta (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas)#, and #
Ethan Davidson (Lewisburg, PA/Lewisburg)# raced hard to catch the leaders, but the Black Knights were just too fast. Ithaca finished third, University of Buffalo fourth, Renesselaer fifth, and St. John Fisher College sixth.
The Tigers men's novice four rounded out the racing with a strong performance in the petite final, finishing second in a time of 7:49.24, with Marist finishing first in a time of 7:45.75. The crew of #
Elliot Courtney (Babylon, NY/Babylon)#, Austin Steinmetz, #
Andrew Fisher (Syracuse, NY/Onondaga)#, #
Matt Casella (Rochester, NY/Gates-Chili)#, #
Tristan Cannan (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder)# felt good about their race piece and look forward to the next one.
The Tigers will race in Philadelphia this weekend at the prestigious Dad Vail Regatta.
