April 21, 2008

On Saturday, April 19th, the Mason Patriots raced for the CAA Conference Championship at the Kerr Cup Regatta in Philadelphia. The day became a day of `firsts' for the women rowers. For the first time in program history, Mason's Varsity 8 won the Kerr Cup and CAA Title. For the first time in program history, Mason's Novice 8 won their CAA Title. The greatest `first' was announced at the conclusion of the regatta: Mason Women's Rowing and the Mason Crew Club (Men) combined points for the full team CAA Championship win.

The morning started with the Novice 8. Mason jumped out at the start and led the race from start to finish, despite a very strong push from the U.S. Military Academy with 500 meters to go. "I am proud of our novices for their composure throughout the entire race. They have been building confidence through the spring and put together a complete race today. They knew Army was making a big push but refused to give up their lead. We're thrilled to have their competitive spirit on the team and I think it shows great things for the future of Mason Rowing," Novice Coach Ellen Gallagher commented.

The Varsity 4 followed. With every boat earning points towards the team championship, the four contributed a solid race for a second place among CAA schools (third overall), beating William and Mary, the University of Delaware and UNC Wilmington. Head "We have been working in the Varsity 4 on our control and consistent pressure" Coach Geoff Dillard said. "They started out strong but did not have enough gas in the tank to stay with the lead boats. Finishing 3rd was a good race for them, and definitely improved from the previous week."

The Second Varsity Eight had the most convincing win of the day. They raced to a 7:08.43, finishing 16 seconds ahead of Drexel University. They jumped out to an early lead, getting ahead by a full boat-length of open water by the 500m mark. "Our 2nd Varsity 8 has been rowing really well the last couple of weeks, and Saturday was no exception. They wanted to take control of the race from start to finish. They got out early and then just kept walking away from the field," Coach Dillard said.

The Varsity Eight race had some of the closest racing at the regatta. Leading from the start to the finish, they won in a time of 7:05.42 to Drexel's 7:08.45. Coach Dillard notes, "The Varsity 8 has come up short the last couple of weeks in some tough close races. We knew we were going to have to race hard and aggressive. The girls executed the race plan perfectly and were able to hold off a strong crew from Drexel. It felt really good to win the Varsity 8 Kerr Cup for the first time ever, and to finally be on top of a close race."

Overall, Coach Dillard has this to say, "We are all very excited about winning our second consecutive CAA Championship. It was definitely a focus for us this spring but is not an end. CAA's is a stepping stone in our season and we now look to build on that speed for the Dad Vail."