April 22, 2012

OAK RIDGE, TENN. - The Saint Joseph's men's rowing team saw its Lightweight 8 take second place in the competitive SIRA Regatta.

It was the first race of the season for the Lightweight 8, and the Hawks rowed a 6:03.77 to earn second place, just behind Delaware and ahead of Michigan State. SJU's lineup was: c- Brandon Ciccone; 8- Tom Garry; 7- Mike Sheehan; 6- Brandon Hanna; 5- Sean Stewart; 4- Matt Benedetto; 3- Justin Gentile; 2- David Robinson; 1- Matt Johnson

SJU's Second Varsity 8 placed first in the B Final, with a time of 6:08.40. The Hawks finished ahead of Notre Dame and North Carolina. The boat was comprised of: c- Rob Gilroy; 4- Nick Shafer; 3- Joe Larocque; 2- Nick Hoell; 1- Michael Walsh

"Our Lightweight 8 had a very solid race on Sunday. We couldn't match Delaware in the first 500 meters but we settled into a good base rhythm and were able to slowly move out on the field to take second. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again at the Dad Vail," said Hawks' coach Mike Irwin. "The heavyweight boats did not have the weekend we envisioned when we loaded the bus to head south. We needed to be better in the middle 1000 meters of our races. The guys are disappointed but ready to get back to work this week as we prepare for the Bergen Cup."