Men's Rowing Has Strong Showing at ECAC Championships
5/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Rowing
May 16, 2006
WORCESTER, MA -- The GW men's rowing team placed all three of its boats into the grand finals at the 2006 ECAC League Championships last Saturday and Sunday on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, MA. The conditions were cold, windy, and rainy throughout the weekend.
The Colonials' varsity eight progressed easily through heats and semifinals in order to make the grand final in the marqee event of the day. In the final, the GW varsity found itself in fifth place heading into the second 1000 meters and charged past Virginia and Holy Cross into the third position. In a commanding sprint, though, Holy Cross pushed back in and at the wire finished less than five one-hundredths of a second ahead for the bronze medal. GW finished fourth, the highest finish in this event in school history.
"I've felt for some time now that this crew has a good deal of latent speed, but this weekend is the first time I've seen them truly exhibit it in a racing situation," GW head coach Greg Myhr said. "While it is heartbreaking to miss out on a medal by that small of a margin, I am thrilled with the strides this crew is taking. I don't think we're at top speed yet, and I truly hope that we get one more chance this year to see what we can do."
GW is hoping to receive a bid for the national championships in the varsity eight, but won't find out for at least another week.
In the freshman events, both the first and second eights qualified for the grand finals, and both boats finished fifth overall. "While our guys don't have a lot of physical size, they raced flat out, all the way," Myhr said. "I would have loved to see one or both of these boats in the medals this weekend, but I feel very confident that these guys are laying the groundwork for a very successful GW teams in years to come. Both freshman crews have picked up an enormous amount of speed in the last week, and I'm excited to see how fast they can get by the end of the season."
Again, GW must wait to find out if it's freshman eight will be granted an entry for the national championships.
Next up for the Colonials will be a dual race against Gonzaga University on Saturday, May 27 on the Potomac River.