Oct. 18, 2006

PHILADELPHIA - The Saint Joseph's men's rowing team had a very successful opening day at the Navy Day Regatta on the Schuylkill River.

The Hawks brought home the first gold medals of the season in the Freshman 8 and Dad Vail 8. The freshmen bested East Coast powers Navy and Penn to finish first in the first race of the day.

In the JV 8 event, the Hawks finished a very strong third place between two boats from Navy. The Lightweight 8 had a significant challenge ahead of them with powerhouses Navy, Penn and Georgetown on the slate. The Hawks finished 7th but were the first Dad Vail boat to cross the line.

The team finished the day with the Varsity 8's solid performance in the College 8. The V8 rowed a strong 4k finishing in eighth place. The Varsity 8 and the Lightweight 8 will get a second shot at many of these crews this coming weekend, October 21-22, at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston.

"We were very pleased with the overall performance of the team. We have put in solid work adjusting our rowing style and training and we are well on our way. This promises to be a great season for us," said head coach Drew Hill.