BUFFALO, N.Y. – Canisius rowing won three of the four races it competed in at its only home meet of the 2016 season, as the squad looked impressive at the Black Rock Cup at Westside Rowing Club. The varsity four, varsity eight and second varsity eight, defeated its MAAC opponent Robert Morris in all three races on Saturday.
"It was a great day of racing on the Black Rock Canal,” head coach Joel Furtek said. “I'm extremely proud of our crew today for keeping the Black Rock Cup at home in Buffalo. The West Side Rowing Club and Frank Lloyd Wright's Fontana Boathouse are a great place to host an event and today was no exception. The entire boathouse campus came alive with our friends and families and hundreds of our fellow student-athletes. What a great day to be a Griff.”
The first race of the morning was the second varsity four, which competed against D'Youville, and was bested by the Spartan boat. The lineup of Jenni Vinci, Tiffany Velado, Amber Giambone, Alexandra Glick and Grace Horner, clocked in with a time of 8:26.60, while D'Youville finished with a mark of 8:13.13.
“Our second varsity four found themselves matched against a determined D'Youville four, who pressed very well through the middle thousand to beat us convincingly,” Furtek said. “Hats off to Coach Ciurzynski and her crew. We will look for this four to work hard this week with an eye to a rematch at the New York State Championships on the 30th.”
That loss was rectified in the second race with the varsity four, defeating Robert Morris' four by over 10 seconds. The squad of Melissa Frank, Julianna Sciandra, Geovaira Hernandez, Liz DelBarba, and Kaitlyn Taylor won convincingly with a time of 8:13.01 Robert Morris concluded the race with a time of 8:31.72
"Our varsity four had a strong start and took control of the race early against Robert Morris, driving on late in the race to a solid win,” Furtek said “We did see a number of things that we can, and will, do better in the coming races, but they took care of business.”
The varsity eight also recorded a win for the Blue and Gold as the team of Kira Voyer, Shannon Pritzker, Nora Kennon, Madeline Kurka, Kathryn Hobika, Brooke Stanley, Molly Murphy, Sydney Bichsel and Hannah Blum bested the Colonials' varsity eight with a time of 6:56.48. Robert Morris finished the course with a time of 7:13.30.
"The varsity eight had a strong start and a controlled base cadence, carrying them to a solid win against a strong Robert Morris crew and showing how far we have come since last May,” Furtek said. “It was a great race.”
The biggest win of the day went to the second varsity eight, as the squad took down Robert Morris' boat by over 30 seconds. The lineup of Bridget Lillis, Chanel Davis, Audrey Rieman, Michelle Turner, Mackenzie App, Patricia Beaulieu, Corrine Kickel, Erin Grim and Jordan Bamrick, clocked in with a time of 7:18.46, while the Colonials trailed behind with a time of 7:52.25.
"The performance of the day has to go to the Second Varsity Eight,” Furtek said. “They blasted off the line and never looked back, holding a blistering pace down the course. They kept the hammer down and crossed the line at great speed. I'm really proud of how they have come together as a boat these last two weeks and am excited to see where they can go.”
In total the Griffs reeled off impressive victories in three of the four races scheduled for Saturday, setting up the team nicely for the rest of the season.
"As a team, it's rewarding to race well and up to your ability in front of family, friends, and fellow students,” Furtek said. “We'll spend the rest of Race Day satisfied, proud, and resting. Tomorrow we'll recover, take care of class work, and get ready to come out Monday hungry for more. It's championship season and time to turn it up."
Canisius will have that chance on Saturday, April 30, as the squad takes part in the New York State Championships, held in Saratoga, N.Y. That will serve as a precursor to the MAAC Championship held in West Windsor, N.J. on May 15.
