Women's Rowing Ready to Hit the Water
10/6/2005 5:28:02 PM | Women's Rowing
The SU women’s rowing team celebrates a special milestone this year. The 2005-06 season is the 30th varsity campaign for the sport on "The Hill." Head coach Kris Sanford and the rest of the Orange will look to make it memorable in more ways than one.
There is plenty to build on considering the success of the varsity eight last spring. The top boat won the BIG EAST Championship, took fifth place at the Eastern Sprints and qualified for the NCAA Championship in Sacramento. It was SU’s fifth appearance at NCAA’s and first since 2002. Sanford is hoping the competitive spirit and excitement generated by advancing to postseason competition rubbed off on some of the younger members of her team so they can follow the example set by last year’s seniors.
"I definitely sense that this year’s group is on a mission," Sanford said. "They want to graduate in June having propelled the program forward."
The two individuals setting the pace will be co-captains Ineke DeSimone and Katie Schneider. DeSimone is a senior who battled a rib injury sophomore year that kept her in the JV boat, but she has come back healthy and fit and ready to challenge for a spot in the varsity. Schneider, a junior, owns the team’s top erg score. She brings NCAA experience to the team as a returning member of the varsity eight.
Senior Cat Henny sets another strong example for the squad as a returning National Scholar-Athlete and CRCA All-Region selection. Henny was a walk-on when she started rowing at SU and has worked her way into the varsity where this year she is the potential stroke of the boat. Sanford calls Henny "a silent leader."
Sophomores Allison Doodeman and Lindsay Lentini made an immediate impact last year. Both will be counted on again. Lentini was quick to earn a spot in the varsity early on, while Doodeman made the boat at the end of the season.
Junior Casey Irving will push for time in the varsity boat. She started the season there last year and also spent time in the varsity as a freshman, so she knows what it takes to compete at that level.
Fellow junior Jaime Doerr brings an extremely competitive dynamic to the squad. She rowed in the varsity eight for all but one race last year and is being considered as a potential stroke of the boat, along with Henny. An added dimension to Doerr’s talents is the fact that she has junior national team experience.
Providing the team with a hard-working, enthusiastic and upbeat attitude, especially at practice are three important members of the junior class. Karlyn Downing, Ruth Frantz and Rachel Gibian will help set the tone for the season.
There are three coxswains on the varsity this year and they will surely learn a lot under the tutelage of first-year assistant coach Andrew Kelly, himself a former coxswain at Penn and with the U.S. National Team.
The Orange needs to replace all-region coxswain Makiko Muraoka and the front-runner early on appears to be junior Erin Cunningham. She coxed the JV boat a season ago and seems primed to take over varsity duties as the eldest and most experienced of the three candidates. Joining her are Tina Campagna and Stephanie Granger, two sophomores looking to impress coaches and teammates with their leadership skills.
In addition, SU welcomes two freshman coxswains to the program in 2005-06. Kate Todd is an experienced coxswain from Tonawanda, N.Y., while Alex Wysocki joins the program from Collingswood, N.J.
Sanford is excited about the rest of her freshman class. There are several newcomers who bring junior national development team experience with them to the Orange, including Katie Lynch (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) and Carey Smith (Hunt Valley, Md./St. Paul’s).
Freshman Allison Yoest comes to the program from nearby Liverpool High School. She owns one of the fastest erg scores of any of the incoming rowers.
Other rookies worthy of mention include Liz Henwood (Fort Salonga, N.Y./St. Anthony’s HS), Sydney Axson (Tampa, Fla./Berkely Prep), and Jess Tacinelli (St. Catherine’s, Ontario/Denis Morris).
Their size and natural athleticism is sure to push the upperclassmen.
A pair of second-generation Orange rowers are on the team this year. Henwood’s father, Gerard Henwood, rowed at Syracuse from 1976-80. He was coached by Sanford’s father, Bill Sanford, who was the men’s rowing coach at SU from 1965-2002. Sophomore Erica Mahon’s father, Bryan Mahon, also rowed for Bill Sanford.
Another group that cannot be left out when discussing the season preview is Sanford’s crop of sophomores. She is optimistic about their continued improvement. Kate Turevon, Theresa Alessio and Christine Turner promise to make strong contributions to the team this year.
The fall season opens for Syracuse on Oct. 9, at the Stonehurst Invitational in Rochester, followed by five other regattas, including the Syracuse Invitational at home on Nov. 5. The Orange will travel to the warm weather of Austin, Texas in January and to Melbourne, Fla. in March to prepare for its spring season. After that, the first and second varsity eights will compete at the Stanford Invitational in Redwood Shores, Calif. Races against the usual Northeastern powers populate the rest of the schedule until the BIG EAST Championship on April 30, Eastern Sprints on May 14, and the NCAA Championship on May 26-28.
