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Women's Crew
2009-10 Season Preview
Heading into his second year, D’Youville Head coach John Dorn is looking to pick up where last year finished. “The Novice 4 and Varsity 4 finished the (2008-2009) season strong at the New York State Collegiate Rowing Championships. Both crews finished in third place in two very exciting races. It was a great way to end the season and provide an excellent springboard into 2009 – 2010.”
Rowing is a unique sport because the competition season is divided into two very distinct segments. One takes place in the fall (September and October) and the other in the spring (March, April, and May).
Coach Dorn’s prospective on the first segment. “In the fall, our biggest challenge is trying to balance the focus between Novice and Varsity. The fall season is when we teach the new folks how to row and try to get them up to speed as quickly as possible so that we can hit the ground running in the spring. At the same time, we need to be training hard on the Varsity side so that we can be as competitive as possible during our fall races. Weather can also be an obstacle, so we are hoping for cooperation as long as possible.”
On the high hopes for this season, Coach Dorn is expecting the Varsity 4 to continue improving their rowing technique and increase their training intensity. Six returnees will be competing in the Varsity events: co-captain Laura Crandall (Hamilton, NY/Hamilton), Amy O’Hara (East Aurora, NY/East Aurora), Krista Pundt (Clarence, NY/Clarence), Crystal Austin (Rochester, NY/Greece Odyssey), Katarina Brubaker-Escobar (Philadelphia, PA/Girard College), and Alexandra Holmes (Avon, NY/Avon). The Varsity will get a boost in the spring when co-captain Sam Osika (Depew, NY/Depew) rejoins the squad.
Newcomers to the squad are Ashley Joya (Cheektowaga, NY/Cheektowaga), Shea Kanner (Holland, NY/Holland), Misty Marr (Batavia, NY/Batavia), Mindy Walck (North Tonawanda, NY/North Tonawanda), and Kaitlynn Trzaska (Tonawanda, NY/Kenmore East). Coach Dorn says of his new group, “They are learning how to row this fall and will be primarily competing in the spring season. This group has been working very hard and I feel confident that they will represent our program well.”
The team trains at world renowned West Side Rowing Club, located a few blocks for the DYouville and as always the DYouville Crew will have a formidable schedule. The Spartans will compete for the first time at the Liftbridge Regatta September 20th in Fairport, NY. The race is 5500-meters, the longest test for the Spartans this season.
The Spartans will also be racing against Division I rowers from the University at Buffalo October 4th and have the opportunity to race against Division I crews Cornell and Syracuse at the Head of the Genesee October 11th in Rochester, NY.
“We are very lucky to have a great varsity squad who is extremely helpful with assisting our newer athletes. I am very proud of the way everyone works together and looks out for their teammates. This group of athletes truly is a crew,” says Dorn proudly of the program.
