Clemson Rowing Finishes Strong at Head of the Hooch

Nov. 8, 2009

Chattanooga, TN – The Clemson rowing team finished its fall season at the Head of the Hooch this weekend in Chattanooga, TN. The Tigers brought home four first-place finishes, including wins in the Championship 8+ and 4+, Novice 4+ and Open 8+. Clemson also finished second in three races.

The Novice 8+ got the Tigers started on Saturday morning with a second place finish. Kelly Hall, Emily Lavender, Erin Grubbs, Kate Biladeau and Emily Massey finished six seconds behind Old Dominion with a time of 14:50.4.

Clemson entered three boats in the Championship 8+ race. The crew of Kelly Murphy, Liz Robb, Jessica Gaul, Sarah Daanen, Brittany Cummings, Grace Wolff, Mairi Trimboli and Andrea Belbusti finished in first place with a time of 14:16.9. The Tigers also had a crew finish in seventh place, and one finished 20th.

Clemson took home another first place finish in the Novice 4+ race. The crew of Ameerah Aly, Sarah Monn, Heather Cummings, Kate Biladeau and Emily Massey finished with a time of 16:34.0, more than 20 seconds ahead of Duke.

The Tigers fared well in the Championship 4+ race, claiming three of the top five spots. Kelly Murphy, Liz Robb, Brittany Cummings and Meredith Razzolini finished in fifth place with a time of 16:05.

Liz Robb got Clemson off to a good start on Sunday morning, placing second in the Open 2- race with a time of 16:20.5.

The Tigers entered four boats in the Open 8+ race and all four crews finished in the top ten. Kelly Murphy, Jessica Gaul, Brittany Cummings, Katie Mosier, Corey Geer, Allison Colberg, Melissa Weaver with a time of 14:31.1. The Tigers also had a crew finish in sixth place and one in tenth.

“It was a solid weekend of racing across the board. We are rowing well for the fall and certainly sense a deeper team than previous years,” said Head Coach Richard Ruggieri. “I believe that seats in the Varsity 8+ are wide open for the spring. As the eight-hour period begins, we will see who will be best prepared when coming out of winter training. The coaches are very proud of the aggressive racing and teamwork.”

Clemson will open the spring season at home on March 6, 2010.