Full Results

UMass Lowell emerged victorious in both the varsity and novice four races Saturday morning to highlight the second edition of the UMass Lowell River Hawk Racing Series at the Bellegarde Boathouse.

UMass Lowell's 'A' team rowed the 2,000 meter course in 8 minutes, 4.0 seconds and defeated Colby College (8:12) and UMass Lowell 'B' (8:16). Coast Guard Academy took fourth in 8:21 while Franklin Pierce placed fifth in 8:31.

Leading the UMass Lowell 'A' team was senior coxswain Irene Cassidy (Methuen, Mass.) along with seniors Amanda Murray (West Newbury, Mass.) and Kerry Siebert (Byfield, Mass.); junior Melinda Neale (Plaistow, N.H.) and freshman Jenna Bueno (Methuen, Mass.).

The UMass Lowell 'Bs', who led the first half of the race but succumbed to UML 'A' and Colby, were led by sophomore coxswain Rachel Paquette (Dracut, Mass.) along with freshmen Rachael Piela (Amherst, Mass.) and Erinn McLaughlin (Lowell, Mass.); sophomore Megan McLaughlin (Haverhill, Mass.) and junior Kim Haskins (Taunton, Mass.).

“I was impressed with our fitness and grit with the way we jumped right out of the (Varsity) Eight and into the Four,” said Head Coach Veronika Platzer. “Our 'A' boat employed a long, steady rhythm to walk the field and win in a convincing fashion.

“Overall, it was a great day for us,” she added. “It's always great to put Ws in the win column and the fours prove that while we lack the depth of the powerful New England Eights programs, we have a small group of tough, highly disciplined and fiercely determined of rowers that are willing to go head to head with the top programs.”

In the Novice Fours race, UMass Lowell moved into the lead by the 1,000 meter mark and cruised to the finish with a time of 8:04, dispatching Coast Guard 'A' (8:14), Coast Guard 'B' (8:23) and Franklin Pierce (8:54).

UMass Lowell's Novice Fours included Paquette, Bueno and Erinn McLaughlin along with freshman Meredith Swan (Gloucester, Mass.) and sophomore Katie Judd (Lynnfield, Mass.).

“If it's true that we save the best for the last, then the Novice Four did exactly that,” Platzer said. “Behind the patient, yet power rhythm of Jenna, this undefeated group of 5 pushed their boat into the lead by the half way point and never looked back as they charged to the line. They posted the same time as the Varsity Fours and one of the quickest in the ultra competitive New England schools.”

In the Varsity Eight, UMass Lowell placed third in 7:17, behind Coast Guard (6:49), ranked fourth in the latest CRCA Division III poll, and Colby (7:07). Franklin Pierce took fourth in 8:05.

Leading the eights were Cassidy, Murray, Neale, Bueno, Siebert, Haskins, Piela, Megan McLaughlin and sophomore Bridget Mahoney (Dracut, Mass.).

“This was a very solid race against a two of the top New England Varsity Eight programs,” said Platzer. “We knew we couldn't keep pace with Coast Guard, but we set our sights on hanging with Colby, which we did for most of the race. We lost to them by 10 seconds which is a significant improvement from last year's margin of 30 seconds.”

UMass Lowell travels to Worcester Saturday to face Simmons College, Mount Holyoke, Union, Franklin & Marshall and Clark University.