SAINTS WRAP-UP SEASON WITH STRONG PERFORMANCE AT HEAD OF FISH

Oct.30: The Saints wrapped up their 2006 fall season with a strong performance at the Head of Fish Regatta Oct. 28 in Saratoga Springs, NY.

 

The Regatta was one of the most competitive races of the fall season, drawing almost 40 crews from all across the Northeast.

 

The novice men’s 4+ placed third out of 30 entries, getting edged out of a second place finish by just three seconds. Williams College’s A and B boats outlasted the Saints in the race, but St. Lawrence defeated Colgate, Bowdoin, Connecticut College, Middlebury and Liberty League foes Skidmore and Vassar.

 

Head coach George Repicky said the team had little practice in the boat prior to the race, making the outcome more

 

“That was a pretty good result for these guys considering that they had only one practice in the boat,” Repicky said. “They have been really making great technical improvements recently, so I felt that they could handle the 4+ well.”

 

St. Lawrence finished 14 th out of 41 entries in the open men’s 4+, just two seconds behind Connecticut College, a competitive 4+ team. In the race, the Saints topped a handful of league foes including Vassar, Union, Skidmore and Hobart.

 

In the open men’s 8+, the Saints raced two boats, finishing in fourth and ninth places. The fourth place boat finished just behind Williams and defeated Rochester Polytechnic Institute and the University of Massachusetts. Both boats finished ahead of Vassar, Skidmore and Union.

 

Repicky said the strong finish was an ideal way to close out the season.

 

“I was pleased that our two open men’s 8+ had such good races to end the season,” Repicky said. “The boats were stable and the connection was much better than we have had all fall.”

 

The team used their fall season as a warm-up for their demanding spring season. Repicky said the team improved technically over the course of the fall season and it was apparent in the team’s final race.

 

“I think that we under stroked much of our competition, but we spent a lot of the fall working on technical things that will pay off in the spring,” Repicky said. “We are looking forward to a fast spring where we can put all of the work we’ve done this fall to good use.”

 

 

SAINTS DEFEAT THREE LIBERTY LEAGUE OPPONENTS AT HEAD OF CHARLES

 

Oct. 23: In what head men's rowing coach George Repicky called the most difficult race course of the year, the St. Lawrence men's rowing team fared well at the Head of Charles Oct. 21-22 in Boston. The Saints Varsity 8+ finished 39th out of 58 boats, but earned important wins over league foes, Hamilton, Union and RPI. The Saints also defeated Williams, Coast Guard, Franklin Pierce, Johns Hopkins and Colgate.

 

"Our coxswain did a great job of navigating the hardest race of the season, and the crew was very responsive," Repicky said. "The guys were able to put a lot of what we have been working on in practice into this race."

 

A large base of St. Lawrence alumni came out to support the Saints at Head of Charles, watching from the alumni tent, Repicky said.

 

"It was a beautiful, sunny day," he said. "I think people had a good time watching our row."

 

The Saints will wrap up their fall season at Head of Fish this Oct. 28-29.

 

The Saints 8+ Varsity boat at Head of Charles racing just ahead of Princeton.

 

SAINTS COMPETE AT HOBART WILLIAM SMITH CHALLENGE

 

Oct. 16: The men's crew team continued competition in their fall season Oct. 15 at the HWS Challenge. The men's varsity boat finished in second place with a time of 15:51. They defeated Liberty League foe Hamilton College by seven seconds. Hobart won the race with at 14:55.

 

The men's second varsity boat finished in second place at 16:05, also behind Hobart.

 

The men's novice 4+ boat earned a convincing win, defeating the closest boat, Hamilton, by more than a minute.

 

The Saints will race again Oct. 20 and 21 at Head of Charles in Boston, Mass.

 

 

MEN'S ROWING OPENS SEASON AT HEAD OF GENESSEE

Oct. 8: The St. Lawrence men's crew team opened their 2006 fall season at Oct. 7 and 8 at Head of Genessee in Rochester, NY. The Saints B had a strong row, defeating Skidmore's varsity boat, Williams B boat and Ithaca's B boat.

 

Head coach George Repicky said he was pleased with the B boat's season-opening row.

 

"The B boat worked very hard and put together a solid piece and a good clean row," he said.

 

The Saints A boat had an equipment failure early on in their race and were unable to complete the race.

 

Repicky said it was an unfortunate incident for the A boat, but in the long run, not detrimental to the season.

 

"The breakage in the A boat is disappointing, but these things happen," Repicky said. "We will see a lot of these crew teams again this year so we will have another shot against them."

 

The Saints will compete again Oct. 14, in Geneva, NY at the HWS Challenge. With their first race under their belts, the Saints hope to improve on what Repicky called a productive start for the team.

 

"Overall, it was a good start to the year for us," Repicky said. "It's a long year and we have some things that we need to work on, but it's good to know that we are starting off competitive with many of the best teams in Division 3."

 

 

MEN'S ROWING NAMES 2006-2007 CAPTAINS

 

Sept. 13: The St. Lawrence men's crew team named seniors Mike Wieneke and Jamie O'Donnell as captains for the 2006-2007 season. Wieneke is in his third year with the Saints crew team and has been a member of the Varsity boat since the fall of his junior year. His success as a member of the Saints crew team is a product of his commitment to hard work and improvement as he came to St. Lawrence with no previous rowing experience.

 

Head coach George Repicky said Wieneke's lead-by-example style sets the standard for the whole team.

 

"Mike works tirelessly for our team on and off the water," Repicky said. "He's become our go-to guy for everything and is a real leader. Mike is always around to make sure the little things get done, and his teammates and coaches really respect him for that.

 

Off the water, Wieneke is president of SAAC and a student delegate to the board of trustees.

 

Jamie O'Donnell, has been a member of the Saints crew team and varsity boat since his freshman year. He came to St. Lawrence after rowing at Salisbury School in Connecticut.

 

Repicky said O'Donnell leadership during his tenure with the Saints has not only helped his team, but the overall growth of the program.

 

"Jamie's commitment to the team for the last four years has been pivotal in the growth and development of our program," Repicky said. “He has been a positive leader through his dedication to all aspects of our program."

 

With a team that includes an abundance of young athletes, Repicky said the captains will play an important role in the success of this year's team.

 

"I think our captains will provide the leadership to our very young team, " he said. "They've been through it all and can help our younger rowers get through the difficult stretches of the year. I look forward to working with them as we continue to grow and develop the men's rowing program."

 

 

Jamie O'Donnell (left) and Mike Wieneke were named captains of the 2006-07

men's crew team

 

MEN'S ROWING LOOKS TO STRONG FALL SEASON

With 20 varsity athletes returning and a strong incoming freshman class, the Saint’s men’s rowing team is looking forward to a very productive fall as they prepare for the 2007 spring racing season.

 

“This will be the biggest men’s team we have ever had here at St. Lawrence and the largest group of returning athletes,” head men’s coach George Repicky said. “We’re adding some strong incoming freshman to a good young team so we’ll look to get a lot of training and technical work done throughout the fall season.”

 

With their first race scheduled on October 7 and 8 at the Head of the Genesee in Rochester, NY, Repicky said the Saints will benefit from early races in the fall.

 

“With a younger team like we have it is very important that we get some quality water time to learn how to maximize our efficiency in the boat. We’re aiming for a successful spring racing season and the fall is where a lot of that work needs to get done.”

 

Along with the large number of new varsity rowers, the Saints added Lauren Schulz, a four-year varsity rower at Connecticut College, to the coaching staff. Repicky said he thinks Schulz will bring leadership and experience to the Saints.

 

“I’m very excited that we will have Lauren Schulz ( Connecticut College ’06) joining our staff. I think that she will provide some good ideas as well as give the other guys another perspective on their rowing technique.”

 

The Saint’s will be back on the St. Lawrence River in Waddington, NY for official practices the first week of September.