October 30, 2001
WC Eight Finishes Eighth
of 41 at Head of Schuylkill

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- The Washington College women's rowing team competed at the Thomas Eakins Head of the Schuylkill Regatta Saturday in near-freezing conditions. The open eight team finished eighth of 41 teams to lead an all-around solid performance by the WC rowers.

Sophomore coxswain Amy Levak (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) guided the open eight team across the finish line in 15:48.67, nearly eight full seconds ahead of Carnegie Mellon, the next Division III team to complete the race. Joining Levak on the boat were senior Brianne Brynelson (Lake Oswego, OR/Lake Oswego) at stroke, sophomore Sara Beegle (Baltimore, MD/Baltimore Polytechnic) in the seven seat, sophomore Kelly McGlynn (Pleasant Valley, NY/Arlington) in the six seat, senior Hilary Wurzbach (Greenwich, CT/Greenwich) in the five seat, freshman Juli Irwin (Annapolis, MD/Annapolis) in the four seat, sophomore Gina Ralston (Kennett Square, PA/Unionville) in the three seat, senior Stephanie Williams (Littleton, CO/Arapahoe) in the two seat, and senior Katherine Wilwol (Newtown Square, PA/Marple Newtown) at bow.

In the open four with coxswain, Washington finished 31st in 19:21.95. Sitting in the boat were freshman Courtney Ackerman at coxswain, sophomore Leona Dalton (Bowie, MD/St. Vincent Pallotti) at stroke, freshman Kelsey Taylor (Woodbridge, VA/C.D. Hylton) in the three seat, freshman Beth Rideout (Collegeville, PA/Perkiomen Valley) in the two seat, and sophomore Kara Ripple (Baltimore, MD/Mercy) at bow.

The Shorewomen also entered a novice event for the first time this season, racing two boats in the novice eight. The first WC boat to cross the finish line took 35th place out of 48 teams in 18:29.11. That team consisted of all freshmen: Melissa Pasterkiewicz at coxswain, Jen Bockmiller (Westminster, MD/Westminster) at stroke, Erin Honaker in the seven seat, Min-Li Wu (Westminster, MD/Westminster) in the six seat, Amanda Smallwood in the five seat, Tara Keefer (Mercersburg, PA/James Buchanan) in the four seat, Karen Fry in the three seat, Melissa Beck in the two seat, and Stacey Pratt at bow. Washington's other boat finished 42nd in 18:57.18

The Thomas Eakins Head of the Schuylkill Regatta is rowed over a 2.6 mile course on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The regatta attracts rowers from all over North America and has become one of the premier fall regattas in the nation, regarded by rowers as the climax of their fall racing season. The course twists and bends its way through some of America's most beautiful and historic parkland during the peak of the fall foliage.

The Shoremen return to action at the Keuper Cup Regatta in Melbourne, FL, on March 13.