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The 2011-2012 year of Marquette Crew turned out to be a roller-coaster of experience; with many highs, some lows, and an all around growth of the team. After an exhausting coaching search to replace longtime coaches in Jim Peters and CJ Bown, the team found former rowers to step up and take on the new challenge of coaching the sport they loved throughout college. Zach Savage and Megan McCulloch took on the Varsity Men, while Diana Millspaugh stepped up to join Ryan Endries with the Varsity Women. Gina Pagan also made the leap from rower to coach immediately after graduation, joining forces with returning Novice Women’s coach Liz Lavelle (Gaspar), and Rachel Stoll returned to once again guide the Novice Men. The Fall season had its ups and downs, with a rough showing by both Varsity squads at the Milwaukee River Challenge (where the alumni grabbed a first place finish in the Masters 8+). All squads followed up the next three weeks with strong practices, leading to everyone bringing home hardware from the Tail of the Fox. The Head of the Rock then presented a new test to everyone--where the Novice took to the challenge by placing in multiple events. The Varsity Men also showed well in the Lightweight 4+ race. The Varsity Women then headed off to Boston for the Head of the Charles, showing well in improving significantly on the previous year’s finish. The team then finished up with strong showings all around at the Head of the Eagle in Indianapolis, with the Varsity Men bringing home a gold in the Men’s 2x, the Novice Women bringing in a second and fourth place finish, and the Novice Men bringing home a bronze medal. The spring season posed even more challenges for the team, losing multiple rowers to study abroad trips and engineering co-ops. Traditionally opening up the season’s competition with the Chicago Indoor Rowing Championships, multiple personal records were recorded by every squad. After spending a week of many hours of rowing and miles ran in Oak Ridge, TN, we hosted the 3rd Annual Milwaukee Invite. Each squad showed well with competition from the states of Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin making the trip to the Milwaukee River to compete. The next test for the team came over a month later in Grand Rapids, Michigan with the Mid-American Collegiate Rowing Championships (MACRA), where the Novice Women stole the show in placing third in the Women's Novice 8+. After taking a week and a half to get in as much fine tuning practices as possible, and squeeze in all their final exams, the vans were loaded up for the long drive to Philadelphia. The competition at the Dad Vail Regatta was stiff, and provided a huge challenge to the young team, graduating only three seniors. While no one brought back any hardware, races were hard fought, heats were tough, and the experience was invaluable. The team is already looking forward to what is yet to come, with summer races in the Chicago Sprints and Badger State Games, they won’t have to wait long to begin working towards future success. Bringing back all but three rowers, the Varsity squads look to expand, improve, and give a year to remember for the all the incoming seniors. |
