Dad Vail Central | US Rowing/CRCA Polls

One year ago, the UMass Lowell rowing team was happy to be at the renowned Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta, the premier event of the spring regular season.

As the River Hawks gear for the 2012 Dad Vail, they're not just happy to be there. They want to make an impact.

The Dad Vail Regatta, which also doubles as the NCAA Division II Championship qualifier, runs Friday and Saturday on the Schuykill River in Philadelphia, Pa. UMass Lowell races in Heat No. 42 at 11:06 a.m.

The Regatta will air online live on ESPN3 Saturday beginning at 1:00.

“It is the penultimate regatta,” said head coach Veronika Platzer. “It is what we've been working for.”

The top three teams from Friday's two Division II heats advance to the Grand Final Saturday at 4:00 while the remaining teams compete in the Petite Final Saturday at 5:00.

UMass Lowell's varsity eight includes senior coxswain Irene Cassidy (Methuen, Mass.), along with seniors Amanda Murray (West Newbury, Mass.) and Kerry Siebert (Byfield, Mass.); juniors Kim Haskins (Taunton, Mass.) and Melinda Neale (Plaistow, N.H.); sophomore Bridget Mahoney (Dracut, Mass.) and freshmen Jenna Bueno (Methuen, Mass.), Rachael Piela (Amherst, Mass.) and Erinn McLaughlin (Lowell, Mass.).

Sophomores Rachel Paquette (Dracut, Mass.) and Megan McLaughlin (Haverhill, Mass.) will serve as alternates.

The River Hawks are up against the best in the country as five of the top eight teams in the latest Division II poll are attending.

UMass Lowell's heat includes No. 3 Nova Southeastern, No. 6 Barry University, Charleston (W.V.) and Franklin Pierce, who rank No. 4 and No. 5 behind UMass Lowell in the latest NCAA Division II East Region eights poll.

The other Division II heat, scheduled for 11:12 a.m., includes No. 4 Mercyhurst, No. 5 Central Oklahoma, No. 7 Seattle Pacific, Florida Tech and Grand Valley State.

UMass Lowell is fresh off a pair of stellar efforts in the fours at the New England Championship Saturday: the novices placing fourth out of 12 boats and the varsity fifth among 10.

This season, the varsity eights' times have been largely around 7 minutes, 30 seconds. The group peaked at the second River Hawk Racing Series on with a time of 7:17 on Apr. 14.

“I think the magic number is 7:15 on that course with decent conditions,” Platzer said. “A time of 7:15 is about the pack. If you can do that at home, you're going to be a little more confident doing it somewhere else.”

On Wednesday, however, the River Hawks completed a time trial in 7:05.

“That puts us in the hunt, but it's another thing to do that on the Schuykill,” Platzer noted. “They have to execute the game plan. There has to be that moment at about 600 meters to go, that it clicks and they just absolutely stomp the field. And they're very capable of that.

“We're a year more experienced, faster, stronger and we've got a lot more 'Ws' than we did a year ago,” she added.

The NCAA Championship is scheduled for May 25-27 at Lake Mercer in West Windsor, N.J.

In its first Dad Vail appearance last year, UMass Lowell finished fifth in its heat in 7:36.28 behind Grand Valley State (6:58.91), Nova Southeastern (6:59.91), Florida Tech (7:12.42) and Central Oklahoma (7:16.02).

The River Hawks moved on to the Petite Final where they finished fourth in 7:30.31.

“Half the kids in this (varsity eight) boat have been to Dad Vails, whereas last year, none of our kids had been,” Platzer said. “We're moving in the right direction.”