LOWELL, Mass. – The Endicott crew team raced at the UMass Lowell Invitational last Saturday. It was a sunny day with a strong head wind and occasional cross wind. All crews faced rough water with some white capping.
The Women's Varsity 4+ started off the day, with Brenna Shanahan (Shelton, Conn.) at stroke, Kendra Czernicki (North Chelmsford, Mass.) at three seat, Erika Mercieri (Monson, Mass.) at two seat, Claire McKinnon (West Roxbury, Mass.) in the bow and Stephanie Leone (Oxford, Conn.) coxing.
Facing Merrimack, Roger Williams, and Bowdoin, Endicott needed to place top three in order to make it to the finals. The boat got off the starting line quickly, but slowly fell behind as the windy conditions took their toll. They worked hard to stay in front of Roger Williams, and were able to beat them to the finish line by two boat lengths, with a time of 9:41.9. During the finals, Endicott struggled to keep their composure with the rough water while facing some extremely fast crews. They finished in sixth place with a time of 9:32.8 against some tough competition.
The Women's Novice 4+ raced next, facing Merrimack, UMass Lowell, and the University of New England (UNE) in the preliminary race. With Victoria Ziolek (Nashua, N.H.) at stroke, Michelle Lorenti (Andover, Mass.) at three sat, Kendra Kirby (Redding, Conn.) at two seat, Gabrielle Wiggin (Lebanon, Maine) at bow, and Caroline Judd (Litchfield, Conn.) coxing, the boat started off strong and maintained third place throughout the race, securing them a spot in the finals with a time of 10:13.5. During the finals, the women battled their way to third place and started to gain water on the second place boat. In the last 500 meters they lost their momentum and finished in fourth place with a time of 10:33.0, only seconds behind the third place boat.
The Men's Varsity 4+ raced next, facing Wentworth, Mass Maritime, Amherst, Bowdoin, Roger Williams, and Mercyhurst. The boat was coxed by Nicholas Hadley (West Boylston, Mass.), with Brendan McGuire (Kings Park, N.Y.) at stroke, Jesse Gottesdiener (Newton Center, Mass.) at three seat, Addison Culupa (Jericho, Vt.) at two seat, and Jake Somosky (Glastonbury, Conn.) in the bow. The men came off the starting line quickly, but the rough water caused some hesitation in the boat. At 1000 meters the boat was in third place, but slipped into fourth place as the wind picked up and waves increased. They finished in sixth place with a time of 8:55.0.
The Women's Varsity 8+ finished up the day for Endicott, racing Amherst A & B, Bryant, and UML. Georgie Klinger (New Hartford, Conn.) stroked the boat with McKinnon at seven seat, Christina Jocelyn (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) at six seat, Rachael Lemieux (Claremont, N.H.) at five seat, Shanahan at four seat, Rachele Stein (Washington, D.C.) at three seat, Brooke Bulawka (Bolton, Mass.) at two seat, and Michaela Raftery (Nashua, N.H.) in bow. After a hectic start, the eight regained its power and got an early lead over Bryant. At the 500-meter mark, the waves picked up and the eight fell behind Bryant. At 1500 meters the boat made a nice move and got within a boat length of Bryant, but ran out of water before they could catch all the way up. They finished with a time of 8:45.1.
Endicott takes on the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia on May 13 & 14. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.