2008 Woodie Awards
RSSMen and Women's Crew: Quick times for Hawks bring success in Philly
Men and women's crew teams placed all but one boat in the finals at the Murphy Cup, Saturday.
By Nicole Falcone
Issue date: 4/1/08 Section: Sports
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The men and women's crew team took to the Schuylkill river in Philadelphia, Pa. on Saturday for the Murphy Cup.
In what Head Coach Liz Meltzer notes as one of the fastest Murphy Cups she has seen in a long time, the Mountain Hawks performed well.
The race included 63 events and more than 20 teams including Patriot League foes Lafayette College, Navy, Army, Colgate University and Bucknell University.
The women's varsity eight boat finished the day 10th out of 22 teams, with a fourth place finish in the petite final.
After the first heat the top six boats head to the grand final; boats six through 12 compete in the petite final.
In the petite final the Hawks crossed the finish line at 7:02.82, only two seconds slower than third place Temple University. Colgate won the race with a time of 6:53.58, followed by Fordham University in second.
The women's varsity eight placed in the petite final after finishing third in it first heat, coming in behind Williams College and Temple with a time of 6:57.78.
The success of the varsity eight women trickled down to the rest of the Hawks boats.
The women's junior varsity eight boat finished in second place in its heat, beating out boats, from Williams, Philadelphia University and Sacred Heart University, with a time of 7:11.55.
The boat went on to a sixth place finish in the grand final, finishing in 7:14.13.
The women's novice four boat placed first in its opening race and ended the day with a third place finish in the grand final.
"I am really pleased with all the women," Meltzer said.
On the men's side, the varsity eight boat finished in first place in the petite final with a time of 6:00.98, almost six seconds faster than the boat's first heat.
The men's junior varsity eight finished third in its first heat with a time of 6:06.45 and went on to finish fifth in the final behind Delaware University.
The men's novice eight A boat finished in third place with a 6:18.27 time; the B boat finished its first heat in second place with a 6:38.71 time.
"If you look at the entire team's performance I thought we had a great day," Meltzer said. "Out of every event we participated in we advanced [in all except for] one."
Christine Pocaro, captain of the women's team and rower on the varsity eight was pleased with the Hawks performance at the Murphy Cup.
"I felt really good," she said. "It was our first big race of the year. The whole boat felt we did really good."
With success in hand, the Hawks prepare for a trip to the west coast.
This weekend the men and women's varsity boats head to California for the San Diego Crew Classic.
In preparation for the race Meltzer is taking a unique training approach: wrestling.
On Tuesday morning the women's varsity eight boat will hit the mats with Head Coach Greg Strobel to work on aggression and individual accountability - qualities Meltzer believes the boat can improve.
"We are very strong technical rowers … now it's about how we approach stuff and attack it," Meltzer said.
But the whole week won't be dedicated to one-on-one wrestling matches, the Hawks will look to improve their start and practice some sprints on the water.
On the men's side Meltzer said Coach Jason Moorehead might touch on consistency, making sure the Hawks perform at the highest level in every meet.
In what Head Coach Liz Meltzer notes as one of the fastest Murphy Cups she has seen in a long time, the Mountain Hawks performed well.
The race included 63 events and more than 20 teams including Patriot League foes Lafayette College, Navy, Army, Colgate University and Bucknell University.
The women's varsity eight boat finished the day 10th out of 22 teams, with a fourth place finish in the petite final.
After the first heat the top six boats head to the grand final; boats six through 12 compete in the petite final.
In the petite final the Hawks crossed the finish line at 7:02.82, only two seconds slower than third place Temple University. Colgate won the race with a time of 6:53.58, followed by Fordham University in second.
The women's varsity eight placed in the petite final after finishing third in it first heat, coming in behind Williams College and Temple with a time of 6:57.78.
The success of the varsity eight women trickled down to the rest of the Hawks boats.
The women's junior varsity eight boat finished in second place in its heat, beating out boats, from Williams, Philadelphia University and Sacred Heart University, with a time of 7:11.55.
The boat went on to a sixth place finish in the grand final, finishing in 7:14.13.
The women's novice four boat placed first in its opening race and ended the day with a third place finish in the grand final.
"I am really pleased with all the women," Meltzer said.
On the men's side, the varsity eight boat finished in first place in the petite final with a time of 6:00.98, almost six seconds faster than the boat's first heat.
The men's junior varsity eight finished third in its first heat with a time of 6:06.45 and went on to finish fifth in the final behind Delaware University.
The men's novice eight A boat finished in third place with a 6:18.27 time; the B boat finished its first heat in second place with a 6:38.71 time.
"If you look at the entire team's performance I thought we had a great day," Meltzer said. "Out of every event we participated in we advanced [in all except for] one."
Christine Pocaro, captain of the women's team and rower on the varsity eight was pleased with the Hawks performance at the Murphy Cup.
"I felt really good," she said. "It was our first big race of the year. The whole boat felt we did really good."
With success in hand, the Hawks prepare for a trip to the west coast.
This weekend the men and women's varsity boats head to California for the San Diego Crew Classic.
In preparation for the race Meltzer is taking a unique training approach: wrestling.
On Tuesday morning the women's varsity eight boat will hit the mats with Head Coach Greg Strobel to work on aggression and individual accountability - qualities Meltzer believes the boat can improve.
"We are very strong technical rowers … now it's about how we approach stuff and attack it," Meltzer said.
But the whole week won't be dedicated to one-on-one wrestling matches, the Hawks will look to improve their start and practice some sprints on the water.
On the men's side Meltzer said Coach Jason Moorehead might touch on consistency, making sure the Hawks perform at the highest level in every meet.
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