BUFFALO, N.Y. – While the Canisius Rowing season has finished for the 2015-16 calendar year that doesn't mean that the Blue and Gold don't have an eye to next season, and the incoming class for the Griffs have achieved a number of successes so far this summer. Highlighting the group has been the triumphs of a trio of future Griffs as Jess Fabian, Lexi Heinz and Tara Federow have all competed on the national stage, garnering accolades along the way.

"We've known for some time that the incoming Class of 2020 was a special one,” Head coach Joel Furtek said. “However we're all extremely proud of how strongly they finished their high school rowing careers.”

Fabian and Heinz were both part of the USRowing Youth Nationals on Mercer Lake on June 10 and 11.

Heinz was part of a lightweight varsity four which fought its way to the B final round of the regatta, and topped the field with a time of 7:31.74. Had the boat qualified for the grand finals, the boat's time in the B finals, would have bested the field.

Meanwhile Fabian rowed as a part of the varsity eight which finished in the top-20 in the event as the squad rowed to a time of 6:51.955.

Niagara Falls, Ontario native Tara Federow capped a remarkable season for Kent School, where the squad proved victorious at the 2016 National Schools' Championship regatta in in Philadelphia on the Schuylkill River on Saturday. Federow's varsity eight clocked in with a  time of 5:35.17 besting the field. The school didn't lose to any other school's crew all season.

Federow's boat was also responsible for the first New England Interscholastic Rowing Association Championship in 11 years, as the squad topped the field with a time of 5:24.11.

"It was thrilling to be able to watch in person as three of our future Griffs raced on the national stage," Furtek said. "Their grit, determination, and speed are emblematic of the class as a whole and of the program that we are building here at Canisius. All six of our incoming freshmen are a great fit for the competitive cauldron of rowing at Canisius, and I know that our returning rowers are both proud of and motivated by the Class of 2020. We'll be watching them all as they continue to row and compete over the summer.

Here is a full breakdown what the incoming squad has done up to this point:

	Name	Accomplishments	Quotes from the Coach
	Emma Vicaretti	Vicaretti stroked the West Side Rowing Club light weight eight to a win at the Bennett with just .6 seconds between the boat and third place.	"Emma's grit and determination have been on display for years and we were excited to see her demonstrate it at home in a thrilling victory in a tight race against fast Canadian crews.  That experience of matching other crews stroke-for-stroke down the course will serve her well in our competitive environment at Canisius."
	Alex Holt	Holt won the Coaches Award at Nardin Sports Awards Night.	"It's not a surprise to us that Alex "Petey" Holt won the Nardin Coaches Award, but it was a great public confirmation of what we have seen in her all along.  We expect only greater things from her this Fall when she moves across the West Side campus to our Fontana Boathouse."
	Misa Gamble	Gamble won the St Louis Rowing Club's Grigsby-Westervelt Award for the most improved varsity athlete.	"Misa was a good coxswain when we met her, but we could see on her official visit that she wanted to be better -- she wanted to enter Canisius ready to be a collegiate coxswain in our system.  Her coaches clearly saw the improvement and honored her among her peers.  The 'book' on Misa is that no matter what boat she is assigned, she makes it better; that is all that we ask of every student-athlete in our program."
	Jess Fabian	Fabian and her varsity eight finished in the top 20 at Youth Nationals.	"Jess is a scrappy rower who always wants to be faster, and she improved herself and her boat all Spring.  A Top 20 finish in the country is a good place to be, and we know that she will be driving herself all summer to be faster still -- and she'll be reunited with her former teammate and fellow scrapper, rising sophomore Sydney Bichsel for the summer."
	Lexi Heinz	Heinz stroked her lightweight four to a win in the Petite Final at Youth Nationals, in a time that would have won the Grand!	"Lexi is another fighter who will give you everything that she has.  She showed great leadership moving into the stroke seat and guiding her boat through the regatta, ending with a dominant win in the Petite Final.  It was clear that her boat got better as the regatta wore on, and watching her lead their commanding finals performance was a great affirmation of everything that we have seen in her from the start."
	Tara Federow	Federow won the Schools National Championship by open water in her Kent eight, not losing to another school crew all season.	"Tara showed us speed potential last year, but she has really stepped up as a senior and the results are clear: a national championship!  She played a strong role at six seat in a fast boat that took on all comers and saved their best race for when it counted.  With her work ethic and commitment to rowing year-round at Canisius we expect still more from her.  She'll be training in her native Niagara Falls this summer and racing her future Griff teammates several times, pushing everyone to improve."

The Blue and Gold future seems bright with many of its incoming rowers boasting local and national accolades and the Canisius coaching staff excited for what will come. 

"With most of our team in competitive summer programs, and the rest already deep into their training plans, things look great for our Fall season kickoff against the University at Buffalo on September 24," Furtek said "It's a great time to be a Griff!"