Aug. 1, 2005

PHILADELPHIA - With expectations at an all-time high, the Saint Joseph's men's rowing team delivered on the hype and turned in arguably the most successful season in program history. Possessing depth and talent throughout the lineup, the Hawks asserted themselves on the national scene by capturing the Dad Vail crown for the third time and advancing three crews to the finals at the IRA National Championships.

Senior co-captain Ray Cawley remained the catalyst for the Hawks serving as the stroke in both the Varsity 8 and Varsity 4 boats. The Varsity 8 showed it would be one of the nation's best crews after picking up a bronze medal at the Head of the Charles in the fall in addition to posting solid efforts at the Head of the Schuylkill and prestigious Princeton Chase.

In the spring, the V8, usually composed of John Hayes (cox), Cawley, Mike Jacob, Alex DiBiasi, Mike Leahy, Dan Lachant, Adrian Gherca, Dan Fazio and Matt Mullin, reached the finals of every spring regatta. At the Dad Vail, the Hawks breezed through qualifying winning both the opening and semifinal heat before placing sixth in a tightly contested final.

Several members of the Varsity 8, including Hayes, Cawley, Jacob, Leahy and DiBiasi, composed the Hawks Varsity 4 and turned in a tremendous effort at IRAs, finishing sixth at the rowing national championships.

In addition to the Varsity 8, three Hawk boats reached the Dad Vail finals, including gold medal performances by the Freshman Lightweight 8 and the JV Heavyweight 8 and a bronze by the Varsity Lightweight 8. The Hawk men totaled 27 points to easily outdistance Purdue (18 points), Temple and Michigan (17 points) to claim the Dr. Thomas Kerr Trophy as the men's champion, after a runner-up finish in 2004. The men combined with the Hawk women to score 40 points and bring home the Jack Bratten Trophy indicative of the overall points winners for the first time since 1971.

Like its counterpart, the Hawks Second Varsity 8 of Charlie Koob (cox), Jeff Schaetzle, Dave Naab, Justin Jones, Wayne Zimmer, Sean Flynn, Bill Fox, Andrew Friedlander, Sean O'Hara was also impressive advancing to the finals in every race. The crew took gold at both the Jesuit Invitational and Murphy Cup, before posting its memorable win at the Dad Vail. The boat's impressive results earned it an opportunity to race at IRAs, where it placed second in the third final to finish 14th nationally.

The Crimson and Gray's Lightweight crews were both medal contenders throughout the year. The Lightweight Varsity 8 of Stephanie Gehringer (cox), Devlin Murdock, Joe D'Amato, Mike Santoro, Matt Walsh, Steve Ramsey, William West, Blake Schiller, Brendan McMahon reached the finals in each of its spring races, claiming a gold at the Murphy Cup, silver at the Knecht and bronze at the Dad Vail.

SJU's Freshman Lightweight 8 of Mark Malott, James Costa, Steve Britton, Adam Stoll was perhaps the Hawks' most impressive boat as it frequently raced against heavier Freshman 8 boats without skipping a beat. Despite the weight differential, the Lightweight Frosh reached the finals of every spring race, picking up four medals, including the gold at Dad Vail.

The Freshman 8 of Mike Morris (cox), Jon Romvary, Mike Aurilio, Gavin Adams, Brandon Moore, Zeb Browne, Craig Hansson, Pat Cassidy, was solid throughout the season, reaching four finals and medaling at the Jesuit Invite, G.W. Classic and Knecht Cup, but the boat was stunned in the qualifying heats at the Dad Vail and failed to advance.

Several members of each of the freshman boats combined to form a Freshman 4 that raced at the IRAs. The boat featuring Jacobs, Romvary, Adams, toll, and Morris, won the third level final to place 13th nationally. It was a record-setting year for the Hawks on the water and with only two seniors graduating SJU should be the favorite to defend its Dad Vail title and be in contention for multiple medals at the IRA in 2006.