PHILADELPHIA, PA (May 9, 2015) - In spite of some very strong efforts on Philadelphia’s Schuykill River the women’s rowing team ended their season yesterday without advancing any of their three entries to the second day of racing at the 2015 Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta.

The Varsity Four, consisting of senior coxswain Bianca Baldelli (Stonington, Conn.), sophomore Nicole Rode (Thomaston, Conn.), senior Paige Mc Groarty  (Quincy, Mass.), Senior Hayley Brown (Newbury, Mass.) and senior Madeline Morrill (Greenville, Pa.) began the day by rowing the boat’s best race of the season, completing the course in 7:57.839. Unfortunately, the Ravens faced some very stiff competition as four of the six boats in their heat were among the top nationally ranked Division II teams in the country. Humbolt State University, ranked 2^nd nationally, took the heat with a 7:36.266, followed by third ranked Mercyhust College. Philadelphia University finished third with a 7:41.813 with fifth ranked Nova Southeastern at 7:45.777 finishing fourth and UC San Diego in fifth with a 7:52.111.

The race began with Humbolt State opening a lead on the rest of the field early on in the race. By the midway point the Ravens were locked in a battle for second with the remaining four boats. After 500 more meters, Mercyhurst made a strong push to move into second while the rest of the pack remained in a tight race for 3^rd. As the boats approached the last 500 meters, the Ravens fell out contention along with UC San Diego as Philadelphia pushed through Nova Southeastern for the final qualifying spot in the heat. The Ravens finished 6^th in their heat and in eleventh place overall in the Women's Division 2/3 Varsity Four.

The Second Varsity Four led by junior coxswain Mary Quinn (Erie, Pa.),  junior Bailee Desforges (Bridport, Vt.), sophomore Kirsten Salois (Pelham, N.H.), junior Megan DeFelice and senior Ashley Lavoie (Coventry, R.I.) faced two very formidable challenges in the Women's Open Varsity Four event. Their first challenge was attempting to overcome injury and experience as the boat had to replace their stroke seat due to injury just two days before the regatta. Desforges, who joined the team in February without any prior rowing experience, had yet to race this season. The novice rower hoped right into the stoke seat of the second varsity having never rowed in a race or having rowed in the stroke seat of a boat. She filled in admirably as the boat had to face off against  the Dad Vail Regatta 2014 defending women’s champions, University of Massachusetts, who won the heat 7:33.029. The second varsity also found itself in a tough race with another Division I school in the University of Cincinnati, who placed second (7:51.05).  La Salle University (8:04.676) finished third and Endicott College (8:24.356) was fourth with the Ravens trailing behind with an 8:46.051. Overall the second varsity boat finished 35^th out of 40 boats in the event.

The Women's Novice four completed the day’s racing later in the afternoon finishing in 5^th place in the 6^th heat of the Women’s Novice Four event. Freshman coxswain Emily Morrill (Lowell, Mass.), freshman Danielle Clarke, junior Amanda Beasley (Newmarket, N.H.), freshman Stephanie Priest (Dudley, Mass.), and junior Kasie Tucker (Bow, N.H.)  put together a strong row through the first half of the race but fell off the pace as the race entered the final 700 meters. The Ravens finished behind the University of St. Thomas (8:44.650), Bowdoin College (8:53.720), Purdue University (9:20.820), The College of New Jersey (9:23.630), New York University (9:23.630). The Ravens rowed the course in 9:41.580.

While the season ended without advancing a boat to the second day of the prestigious Dad Vail Regatta, overall the Raven’s had a hugely successful 2014-15. The team fielded very competitive boats throughout the fall and spring seasons, place two boats in the Grand Finals of New England Rowing championships- a program first- and the roster doubled in size going from eleven rowers in the fall to twenty-two in the spring. Needless to say, women’s rowing is making a comeback in Rindge.