Men's Rowing | May 7, 2015

PHILADELPHIA - The La Salle men's rowing team will wrap up the 2014-15 season this weekend with races at the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta on the Schuylkill River on Friday and Saturday. 

The men's team will have three boat entries, including the varsity eight, varsity four and novice four.

The varsity four will kick off competition on Friday at 7:10 a.m. The Explorers are slated to row in Lane 5 in the third heat of the day, where they will face North Carolina State (Lane 1), Marquette (Lane 2), Drexel (Lane 3) and Ohio State (Lane 4). The top two boats in the race will advance to the quarterfinals, which begin at approximately 5:24 p.m. The Explorers' V4 boat will include coxswain Angelie Itaas, along with rowers Sean McGettigan (stroke), Jeff Waldin (3), Mike Gormley (2) and Antonio Stephens (bow).

"The V4+ is a young boat for the Explorers," Head Coach Tom Madden said. "Two freshmen and two sophomores join one of our most admired seniors. They have been getting faster every day leading up until Vails and they are coming together at a good time."

The varsity eight is up next, rowing in Lane 2 of Heat 6 at approximately 10:44 a.m. The Explorers will face some local squads in Temple (Lane 3) and Delaware (Lane 4), along with Binghamton (Lane 5). The top two boats advance to Saturday's semifinals, set for around 10:41 a.m. The third and fourth place boats will head to reps starting around 3:06 p.m. on Friday. The V8 includes coxswain Grant Maddock, and rowers Kieran Hughes (stroke), Jake Fabel (7), Brendan Mason (6), Zach LaBarth (5), Matt Cardin (4), Marqus Brown (3), Kevin Sullivan (2), and Jack Schall (bow).

"The V8 is the men's focus as we enter the 2015 Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta," Madden said. "With one senior and eight underclassmen - including five freshmen - it is a young and hungry boat. They have spent the last two and a half weeks growing as individuals and more importantly, as a group. This crew has a chance to set a high bar for future varsity eight crews moving forward."

The novice four will race at 1:30 p.m. on Friday in Lane 4 of Heat 6. The Explorers will face Clarkson (Lane 1), Wentworth Institute (Lane 2), Grand Valley State (Lane 3), and SUNY Geneseo (Lane 4), with the top two finishers advancing to Saturday's semifinals. The semis will begin around 7:39 a.m. The boat includes coxswain Braxton Thorn, and rowers Kenny Roller (stroke), Kyle Adams (3), Waleed Omar (2) and Josh Brooks (bow).

"A group of four freshmen and one novice look to make their mark in their first championship experience," Madden said. "Racing into the grand final won't be easy, but is something this group has been working hard toward."

Follow the Explorers at the river or on Twitter @LaSalleRowing.

Initial Schedule:

Friday
07:10 - Men's Varsity Four (Heat 3, Lane 5)
08:10 - Women's Varsity Four (Heat 1, Lane 2)
10:44 - Men's Varsity Eight (Heat 6, Lane 2)
11:29 - Women's Varsity Eight (Heat 5, Lane 5)
13:30 - Men's Novice Four (Heat 6, Lane 4)