October 31 , 2005

Hobart's gold medal winning pair

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.—The Hobart College crew team medaled in four out of five races this past weekend at the Head of the Fish. The Statesmen varsity eight and the open pair earned gold medals, while the second varsity eights received silver. The mixed eight, which consisted of five Statesmen and four Herons also grabbed a gold.

Powered by senior Daniel Gilbert (Brighton/Rochester, N.Y.), senior Gardner Loring (Middlesex/Duxbury, Mass.), senior John-Michael Chadonic (Lawrenceville School/New York, N.Y.), senior Tim Faxon (Salisbury School/Pelham, N.Y.), junior Michael Grenier (Brooks School/Methuen, Mass.), junior Sep Levatich (Ithaca/Ithaca, N.Y.), senior Gavin Johnstone-Butcher (St Paul’s School/Bulawayo, Zimbabwe), junior Robert Reinheiner (Cheverus/Bowdoinham, Maine), and sophomore Richard Klein (Staples/Westport, Conn.), Hobart crossed the finish line with a time of 10:38.77, defeating 23 other boats, including second place Williams by 24 seconds in the varsity eights.

In the open pair race, sophomores Andrew Meunier (Shenedehowa/Round Lake, N.Y.) and Richard Klein (Staples/Westport, Conn.) rowed away from the field. Though a run in with some seaweed early in the race may have cost them a few seconds, they still defeated the runner up, Williams, by 7.2 seconds, posting a time of 13:56.71.

Junior Nicholas Hoagland (Millbrook School/New York, N.Y.), first-year Andrew O’Donnell (Salisbury School/Ancrondale, N.Y.), junior John Duke (Brooks School/Providence R.I.), sophomore Vincent Defabo (Latrobe/Latrobe, Pa.), sophomore Mark Vogelgesang (Lassiter/Atlanta, Ga.), junior Dave Drennan (Greenhills School/Ann Arbor, Mich.), sophomore Steven Reisman (Shenendehowa/Clifton Park, N.Y.), sophomore Jeffery Pribor (Morristown-Beard School/Madison, N.J.), and Meunier led the Statesmen to a time of 11:32.78, defeating two other boats in the second varsity eights.

“Hobart’s performances today are a standard of excellence for both of our teams,” Interim Director of Rowing Sandra Chu said. “Despite the fact that they haveno’t had their own, dedicated head coach, they’ve utilized all of their resources, relied on each other as teammates, and looked to continue to excel.

“I strongly believe that the next head coach will be inheriting a very special group of oarsmen.”

Fueled by sophomore Jacob Podkaminer (Charles D. Dickenson/Trumansburg, N.Y.), and first-years Michael Talarico (Falmouth/Falmouth, Maine), Paul Rueggeberg (Kent School/Greenwich, Conn.), John Heavey (Poughkeepsie/Poughkeepsie, N.Y.), Aaron Matyac (Raleigh Charter/Raleigh, N.C.), John Coyne (Canterbury School/New York, N.Y.), Benjamin Ramsey (Carnegie Vanguard/Houston, Texas), Daniel Allen (Cohasset/Cohasset, Mass.), and Brian Fitzgerald (Cazenovia/Cazenovia, N.Y.), the Hobart novice eight crossed the finish line with a time of 14:15.78. Although they placed fourth out of 24 boats, the Statesmen could have medaled had they not caught a boat-stopping crab.

The second novice eight of first-years Mario Sola (Xavier/East Hadden, Conn.), Christian Moore (Central Bucks West/Doylestown, Pa.), Dale Watkins (Ledyard/Ledyard, Conn.), Matt Gruppo (Fairfield/Fairfield, Conn.), Andrew Lawrence (Avon Old Farms/Beverly, Mass.), Garrett McIntyre (Fairport/Fairfield, Conn.), Alexander Kahn (Loudoun Valley/Lovettsville, Va.), and Theodore Allen (Darien/Darien, Conn.), placed eighth out of 24 boats with a time of 12:52.14.

Seniors Gilbert, Chadonic, Loring, Johnstone-Butcher, and Faxon teamed up with William Smith seniors Cassie Priest (King & Low-Heywood Thomas/Stamford, Conn.), Frances Parsons (Hoosac School/Liverpool, N.Y.), Rebecca Gutwin (Champion Valley Union/Williston, Vt.), and Edwina Wilson (Churchill Academy/Westport, Conn.) to win the mixed eight event with a time of 11:48.79. Cascadilla took second place, nearly a full minute behind HWS.

Back to Hobart Crew