Spring Break
Women's rowing snags first, second at Textile River Regatta
Brandon Gearing
Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: Sports
10/10/08 - The University of Rhode Island women's rowing team kicked off its fall season in winning fashion, securing both first and second place at the Textile River Regatta.
Crew boat A finished in first place with a time of 20:27.877, and crew boat C finished in second, clocking in at 21:13.134. Crew boat B also participated in the competition and finished seventh. The Universities of Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire entered boats in the regatta as well.
"We're off to a great start," said head Coach Shelagh Donohoe. "Coming in first and second shows great team depth."
The fall season is non-traditional for the URI team. Donohoe says she plans to use the races as training for the spring.
"The races are fun, they break us out of our normal everyday routine," she said.
Donohoe complemented her team on their strength, hard work and strong leadership. She said that the team has a very talented core group, not just an individual standout.
"That's what you want with rowing, it's really a team sport and we need to work together to do well," she said.
The team will focus on strength training as they prepare for the spring. Donohoe highlights the lack of that as a weakness with last year's team.
"We're going to be working on strength, being technical and doing lots of miles," Donohoe said.
The incoming freshmen have provided a boost to the team this year. There are 11 freshmen in all, as well as one transfer.
"They could have quite an impact," added Donohoe.
Many of the freshmen could see opportunities to perform well, as the team battles injuries and attempts to mix different lineups in order to find the perfect formula.
Donohoe says that she expects to face many strong schools during the fall and spring seasons, but still has high expectations for her team one year after ending the University of Massachusetts' reign as 2-time Atlantic 10 women's rowing champion.
Donohoe has given her team the goal of repeating the A-10 championship and extended that to receiving an invite to the NCAA tournament.
She said she's very excited about the team and has no problem giving them high goals.
The Rams return to action on Saturday as they compete in the Head of the Housatonic competition in Shelton, Connecticut.
Crew boat A finished in first place with a time of 20:27.877, and crew boat C finished in second, clocking in at 21:13.134. Crew boat B also participated in the competition and finished seventh. The Universities of Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire entered boats in the regatta as well.
"We're off to a great start," said head Coach Shelagh Donohoe. "Coming in first and second shows great team depth."
The fall season is non-traditional for the URI team. Donohoe says she plans to use the races as training for the spring.
"The races are fun, they break us out of our normal everyday routine," she said.
Donohoe complemented her team on their strength, hard work and strong leadership. She said that the team has a very talented core group, not just an individual standout.
"That's what you want with rowing, it's really a team sport and we need to work together to do well," she said.
The team will focus on strength training as they prepare for the spring. Donohoe highlights the lack of that as a weakness with last year's team.
"We're going to be working on strength, being technical and doing lots of miles," Donohoe said.
The incoming freshmen have provided a boost to the team this year. There are 11 freshmen in all, as well as one transfer.
"They could have quite an impact," added Donohoe.
Many of the freshmen could see opportunities to perform well, as the team battles injuries and attempts to mix different lineups in order to find the perfect formula.
Donohoe says that she expects to face many strong schools during the fall and spring seasons, but still has high expectations for her team one year after ending the University of Massachusetts' reign as 2-time Atlantic 10 women's rowing champion.
Donohoe has given her team the goal of repeating the A-10 championship and extended that to receiving an invite to the NCAA tournament.
She said she's very excited about the team and has no problem giving them high goals.
The Rams return to action on Saturday as they compete in the Head of the Housatonic competition in Shelton, Connecticut.
