This past weekend the Saint Joseph's men's and women's rowing teams were in action, competing in various high-profiled competitions.
The men's team participated in the Bergen Cup, which is the city championship. The women's team was also in action in the annual Kelly Cup. Both the Bergen Cup and the Kelly Cup are known as the city championships for their respective participants.
Competition took place on the Schuylkill River, lasting throughout the weekend. Several highly touted and fellow Atlantic 10 universities took part in the competition. Saint Joseph's battled against the likes of Drexel, Villanova, La Salle, Temple and Philadelphia University.
The Saint Joseph's men's rowing team was led by their Freshmen 8, who won first place at the Bergen Cup. This inexperienced, yet tremendously talented group was able to outlast the likes of Drexel to attain victory. In the Lightweight Eight that raced in the JV8, Michael Gibel, '11, and Chase Powell, '11, led the charge for Saint Joseph's. The men placed third in this competition to Temple and Drexel, yet the final standings did not justify this close race. Drexel edged Saint Joseph's by a mere 0.2 seconds. Outlasted in an extremely close race to a rival school always resonates within an athlete.
Powell seemed to share this sentiment when he spoke about the photo finish: "It was a tough race to lose, especially because Temple is one of our biggest rivals on the river."
In a later competition, the Saint Joseph's Varsity 4 finished in second place to Drexel. The Hawks continue their season at the Dad Vail Regatta on May 7 and 8.
The Saint Joseph's women's rowing team had a very successful weekend. Capturing three wins at the annual Kelly Cup, the Hawks were led by several standout performances. In the Second Varsity 8, Varsity 4 St. Joe's was able to pull out a victory over Drexel.
The Freshmen 8 continued the winning trend of the men's team by outlasting Drexel in competition. The Varsity 4 also came away from the Kelly Cup with an impressive victory over inner-city rival Temple. The Hawks Varsity 8 and Freshmen 4 squads performed admirably over the weekend. Both teams were narrowly defeated in the respective competitions, with Drexel taking the Varsity 8 crown.
Saint Joseph's Head Coach Gerry Quinalan spoke about the victories and narrow defeats over the weekend, "We were in a position to win every race with 30 strokes to go and we came out on top in most of them."
"With Dad Vail in two weeks we will work on our closing speed. But we feel very confident as far as the Dad Vail is concerned," Quinlan said.
The women's team has produced several impressive wins over the season adding to their confident mindset. The women's team will continue their season next at the Dad Vail Regatta on May 7 and 8.
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