HADLEY, Mass. (October 25, 2015) – The Franklin Pierce University women's rowing team competed in the Amherst College Fall Invitational this past weekend. Overall, the team had a strong performance, despite fielding a smaller compliment of boats than usual, as the Ravens fielded only two fours on the day.

The Women's Varsity Four opened the day with a very strong showing, placing third in a six-boat field. The V4+, led by sophomore coxswain Grace Walker (Greenfield, Mass.), junior Nicole Rode (Thomaston, Conn.), junior Kirsten Salois (Pelham, N.H.), senior Megan DeFelice (Chester, N.H.) and freshman Marykate Cullinane (Medford, Mass.) rowed a very strong 3000 meters, as they finished ahead of Assumption College, Amherst College and Massachusetts Maritime. The four finished just behind Connecticut College and Smith College, who were first and second respectively. Times were unavailable for the race due to a stopwatch malfunction.

Later in the morning, the Freshman Four faced off against Assumption College and dominated the Greyhounds, finishing a full minute ahead of the Division II rival, and remaining undefeated on the season. The four, composed of senior coxswain Mary Quinn (Erie, Pa.), as well as freshmen Kyra Fairley (Kingston, N.Y.), Mackenzie Hitch (Oregon, Ohio), Julia Canova (Avon, Conn.) and Onyeris Lopez-Maldonado (Hyde Park, Mass.) took the lead early in the race and never looked back, completing the course in 12:43. Earlier this year, the same boat had brought home the program's first ever gold medal from Textile River Regatta.

"I'm very proud of both of our boats," said head coach David DeIuliis. "Both crews had very strong performances against very stiff competition. They were smooth and strong throughout their races."

The team travels to Saratoga Springs, N.Y. next weekend to compete in the Head of the Fish Regatta.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce women's rowing apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).