Season Outlook
March 17, 2011 10:34 AM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - The West Virginia University women’s rowing team is ready to begin its 2011 spring season under fourth-year coach Jimmy King.
With a good pre-season showing, the novice squad is expected to stand out with a fresh lineup, made up of 22 skilled and determined newcomers.
“A stronger fall season does suggest a stronger spring season to come, but it's not guaranteed,” King admitted. “Much can change in the months from when the boats are racked for the winter, to when they are brought back out for the first race of the spring.”
The varsity squad will be more experienced than ever this season with 15 returnees, including seniors Kaitlyn Brownson, who is the captain, Shannon Gribbons, Alita Meyers, Caitlin Murphy, Keyera Stevenson and Rachel Viglianco, along with juniors Alexandra Flavion, Amanda Hirsh, Jessica Kelly, Jeannine McCarty, Melissa Shaver, Jenelle Spencer and Lauren Washabaugh. Sophomores Rachelle Purych and Danielle Widecrantz will also be returning, all of whom started on the Varsity squad as freshman in 2009-10.
Meyers, McCarty and Purych were mainstays in the Varsity eight boat, which was the top boat last spring, while Gribbons, Kelly and Widecrantz contributed as well.
“Since we are changing how we develop our novice squad this season, there are more unknowns than usual for us at this time,” said King. “Regardless of how quickly the process unfolds, I expect the varsity members to aid that process by actively mentoring their younger teammates both on and off the water.”
After a good showing last season, seven members of the Novice squad were put on Varsity. Seniors Anastasia DuPont and Megan Neckelmann, juniors Sarah Cartwright, Alyssa Thompson and Brittany Doss, and sophomores Hilary Meale and Ellen Shular will be moving up to an experienced Varsity squad to showcase their talent.
Cartwright and DuPont both spent time in the fall steering the top Varsity eight crew, in place of graduate Amanda Mahasky, and will have the lead on that spot for the spring.
Varsity also has five talented newcomers to the rowing program this season, including freshman Courtney Shrand and Jennifer Verwey, who established themselves in fall among the top group of rowers, along with freshman Morgan Leach, senior Anna-Claire Bowers and graduate Sara Olenich.
Prior to coming to WVU, Shrand competed in the Scholastic Rowing Association of America National competition in 2007, 2008 and 2010, while Verwey contributed to her high school and club rowing teams, which placed in the New Zealand Club Nationals in 2010.
“We had a strong fall season, in which the team displayed better depth and competitiveness than in previous years,” said King. “We also saw a step forward for this year's squad when we held our first winter training camp.”
The training session was held in Florida in early January, and was initiated by the members of the team, rather than the coaches.
“It's common for teams to hold winter training camps between semesters, but it was a first for WVU, and it was initiated by the rowers,” said King. “The desire and commitment by those students to devote part of their winter recess to a training camp is a reflection of the improving mentality of our team.”
The Mountaineers had a successful 2009-10 season, hosting its second-annual home regatta on the Monongahela River, and concluded the season with 63 points and a sixth-place finish at the BIG EAST Championships, compared to an eighth-place, 38-point finish the previous year.
WVU will begin its season on Saturday, March 19, as it travels to Raleigh, N.C., to compete against North Carolina and George Mason on Lake Wheeler.
In last year’s meetings with these teams, the Mountaineers picked up three victories from their Varsity eight, Second varsity eight and Novice eight squads against the Tarheels, but fell to George Mason in their second-annual spring home regatta on the Monongahela River.
The Mountaineers will have their first regatta appearance at the Occoquan Sprints on Sunday, April 3, in Fairfax Station, Va.
WVU will continue competition on April 9-10 at the annual Knecht Cup Regatta in Cherry Hill, N.J. With over twenty programs attending, including out-of-region teams, the Mountaineers will get a glimpse of the potential competition they will face at the championship regattas toward the end of the season.
In last year’s Knecht Cup Regatta, WVU’s Varsity four and Novice eight boats took fifth in the grand finals of their respective races, while the Novice four and the Second Varsity eight boats made it to the Petite finals.
The Mountaineers will have a week off of competing, then will continue traveling with a trip to Washington, D.C. on Friday, April 22, for a race against George Washington and Georgetown on the Potomac River.
“We'll certainly have some bumps along the way,” King acknowledged. ”But all of the racing throughout the season is simply part of the training and preparation for the Championship regatta.”
On Sunday, May 1, WVU will travel to West Windsor, N.J., to attend the BIG EAST Championship. Under the direction of King, the Mountaineers have landed two eighth-place finishes in 2008 and 2009, followed by a sixth-place finish in 2010.
Not only did the team climb two spots in the BIG EAST, but it increased its overall points in the Championship by almost double.
A change was made for the 2011 Big East Championship, which eliminates the novice category of racing. This will provide all participating programs with more flexibility in line-ups and more racing opportunities for each athlete.
“As the level of competition continues to increase within the Big East conference, speeding the development of the novices becomes crucial for younger programs like ours,” King added. “Rather than waiting for the novices to develop over the course of the year, we'll work to blend them in with the experienced rowers and coxswains of the varsity squad this spring, to produce more competitive crews by the Big East Championship.”
The Mountaineers will conclude the spring season May 13-14, in Philadelphia, Pa., where they will return to their usual season-ending Dad Vail Regatta.
“This season, we'll continue to train hard, with the understanding that what we do today affects what happens tomorrow,” King concluded. “We all expect this spring to be another step forward for WVU rowing, but we constantly remind ourselves to take nothing for granted.”
With a good pre-season showing, the novice squad is expected to stand out with a fresh lineup, made up of 22 skilled and determined newcomers.
“A stronger fall season does suggest a stronger spring season to come, but it's not guaranteed,” King admitted. “Much can change in the months from when the boats are racked for the winter, to when they are brought back out for the first race of the spring.”
The varsity squad will be more experienced than ever this season with 15 returnees, including seniors Kaitlyn Brownson, who is the captain, Shannon Gribbons, Alita Meyers, Caitlin Murphy, Keyera Stevenson and Rachel Viglianco, along with juniors Alexandra Flavion, Amanda Hirsh, Jessica Kelly, Jeannine McCarty, Melissa Shaver, Jenelle Spencer and Lauren Washabaugh. Sophomores Rachelle Purych and Danielle Widecrantz will also be returning, all of whom started on the Varsity squad as freshman in 2009-10.
Meyers, McCarty and Purych were mainstays in the Varsity eight boat, which was the top boat last spring, while Gribbons, Kelly and Widecrantz contributed as well.
“Since we are changing how we develop our novice squad this season, there are more unknowns than usual for us at this time,” said King. “Regardless of how quickly the process unfolds, I expect the varsity members to aid that process by actively mentoring their younger teammates both on and off the water.”
After a good showing last season, seven members of the Novice squad were put on Varsity. Seniors Anastasia DuPont and Megan Neckelmann, juniors Sarah Cartwright, Alyssa Thompson and Brittany Doss, and sophomores Hilary Meale and Ellen Shular will be moving up to an experienced Varsity squad to showcase their talent.
Cartwright and DuPont both spent time in the fall steering the top Varsity eight crew, in place of graduate Amanda Mahasky, and will have the lead on that spot for the spring.
Varsity also has five talented newcomers to the rowing program this season, including freshman Courtney Shrand and Jennifer Verwey, who established themselves in fall among the top group of rowers, along with freshman Morgan Leach, senior Anna-Claire Bowers and graduate Sara Olenich.
Prior to coming to WVU, Shrand competed in the Scholastic Rowing Association of America National competition in 2007, 2008 and 2010, while Verwey contributed to her high school and club rowing teams, which placed in the New Zealand Club Nationals in 2010.
“We had a strong fall season, in which the team displayed better depth and competitiveness than in previous years,” said King. “We also saw a step forward for this year's squad when we held our first winter training camp.”
The training session was held in Florida in early January, and was initiated by the members of the team, rather than the coaches.
“It's common for teams to hold winter training camps between semesters, but it was a first for WVU, and it was initiated by the rowers,” said King. “The desire and commitment by those students to devote part of their winter recess to a training camp is a reflection of the improving mentality of our team.”
The Mountaineers had a successful 2009-10 season, hosting its second-annual home regatta on the Monongahela River, and concluded the season with 63 points and a sixth-place finish at the BIG EAST Championships, compared to an eighth-place, 38-point finish the previous year.
WVU will begin its season on Saturday, March 19, as it travels to Raleigh, N.C., to compete against North Carolina and George Mason on Lake Wheeler.
In last year’s meetings with these teams, the Mountaineers picked up three victories from their Varsity eight, Second varsity eight and Novice eight squads against the Tarheels, but fell to George Mason in their second-annual spring home regatta on the Monongahela River.
The Mountaineers will have their first regatta appearance at the Occoquan Sprints on Sunday, April 3, in Fairfax Station, Va.
WVU will continue competition on April 9-10 at the annual Knecht Cup Regatta in Cherry Hill, N.J. With over twenty programs attending, including out-of-region teams, the Mountaineers will get a glimpse of the potential competition they will face at the championship regattas toward the end of the season.
In last year’s Knecht Cup Regatta, WVU’s Varsity four and Novice eight boats took fifth in the grand finals of their respective races, while the Novice four and the Second Varsity eight boats made it to the Petite finals.
The Mountaineers will have a week off of competing, then will continue traveling with a trip to Washington, D.C. on Friday, April 22, for a race against George Washington and Georgetown on the Potomac River.
“We'll certainly have some bumps along the way,” King acknowledged. ”But all of the racing throughout the season is simply part of the training and preparation for the Championship regatta.”
On Sunday, May 1, WVU will travel to West Windsor, N.J., to attend the BIG EAST Championship. Under the direction of King, the Mountaineers have landed two eighth-place finishes in 2008 and 2009, followed by a sixth-place finish in 2010.
Not only did the team climb two spots in the BIG EAST, but it increased its overall points in the Championship by almost double.
A change was made for the 2011 Big East Championship, which eliminates the novice category of racing. This will provide all participating programs with more flexibility in line-ups and more racing opportunities for each athlete.
“As the level of competition continues to increase within the Big East conference, speeding the development of the novices becomes crucial for younger programs like ours,” King added. “Rather than waiting for the novices to develop over the course of the year, we'll work to blend them in with the experienced rowers and coxswains of the varsity squad this spring, to produce more competitive crews by the Big East Championship.”
The Mountaineers will conclude the spring season May 13-14, in Philadelphia, Pa., where they will return to their usual season-ending Dad Vail Regatta.
“This season, we'll continue to train hard, with the understanding that what we do today affects what happens tomorrow,” King concluded. “We all expect this spring to be another step forward for WVU rowing, but we constantly remind ourselves to take nothing for granted.”
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Thursday, April 16
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Thursday, April 16
Andrew Powdrell | April 15
Thursday, April 16
Coach Pat Kirkland | April 15
Thursday, April 16
