Lehigh University
St. Joseph's-Delaware-Drexel<br>Men vs. Drexel vs Lehigh
Mountain Hawks send six crews to spring opener
3/14/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Rowing, Women's Rowing
 |
PHILADELPHIA – Lehigh opened its spring season on the Schuylkill River on Saturday morning as the Mountain Hawks competed against St. Joseph’s, La Salle, Delaware and Drexel. The men’s varsity 8 battled back from an early open water lead by Drexel to overtake the Dragons and win the race in a time of 6:21.9, while the women’s varsity 8 overcame a small blade tangle shortly after the start to pass La Salle, and finish in 7:17.9. The women’s freshmen 8 had a strong showing in its race, battling the Drexel crew neck-and-neck before ultimately pulling away to finish third with a time of 7:59.9.
“There were many bright spots for our crews throughout the day,” Lehigh’s Director of Rowing Liz Meltzer commented. “Across the board, for this early in the season, the technique, power and focus was impressive and showed potential for future performances. We need to focus on racing at higher rates and improving our fitness so we can remain competitive in the second 1,000 meters.”
She continued, “The men’s varsity 8’s results were very impressive and showed how maturity, confidence and staying calm on the water can go a long way in outracing bigger, stronger crews on paper. They stayed long, didn’t panic and committed nicely to their race plan and offensive moves. The women’s 1V, 2V, and freshmen 8’s rowed well but too low. I’m excited to see how we fare in those events with more work at higher ratings and a more rehearsed second half.”
The women’s second varsity 8 crew came out strong from the start leading Drexel for the first half of its race, before the Dragons ultimately caught the Brown and White to finish in a time of 7:34.6. Lehigh crossed in 7:39.9.
On the men’s side, the second varsity 8 was outlasted by Drexel as the Mountain Hawks finished in 6:50.9, while the freshmen 8 finished third in its race with a time of 6:46.0.
“This race is early for us and came quickly this year, but we like to see these talented crews early,” Meltzer explained. “They are serious competitors and help us in determining where our crews stand at the start of the season and what needs to be improved upon. We will see them all again in two weeks at the Murphy Cup and hopefully, can close the distance on many of them then.”
Lehigh will be back on the Schuylkill River in two weeks when the Mountain Hawks compete at the Murphy Cup on Saturday, March 28. The first race is set for 9:00 AM.
Women’s Varsity 8
|
School |
Time |
|
St. Joseph’s |
6:48.2 |
|
Drexel |
6:54.5 |
|
Delaware |
7:08.2 |
|
LEHIGH |
7:17.9 |
|
La Salle |
7:27.0 |
Men’s Varsity 8
|
School |
Time |
|
LEHIGH |
6:21.9 |
|
Drexel |
6:24.1 |
Women’s Second Varsity 8
|
School |
Time |
|
St. Joseph’s |
7:19.5 |
|
Delaware |
7:26.3 |
|
Drexel |
7:34.6 |
|
LEHIGH |
7:39.9 |
Men’s Second Varsity 8
|
School |
Time |
|
Drexel |
6:39.0 |
|
LEHIGH |
6:50.9 |
Women’s Freshmen 8
|
School |
Time |
|
St. Joseph’s |
7:35.9 |
|
Delaware A |
7:40.7 |
|
LEHIGH |
7:59.9 |
|
Drexel |
8:04.1 |
|
La Salle |
8:08.0 |
|
Delaware B |
8:52.8 |
Men’s Freshmen 8
|
School |
Time |
|
La Salle |
6:26.1 |
|
Drexel |
6:26.8 |
|
LEHIGH |
6:46.0 |
