Clemson Rowing Signs Thirteen Recruits

Nov. 25, 2003

Clemson, SC – The Clemson Rowing team is proud to announce that they have signed thirteen recruits for the 2004-05 season. As of November 19th Vernita Boone, Laura Dunbar, Abbey Fernandez, Liz Giannini, Krista Gregan, Jaime Horgan, Lizzy Jennings, Kristin Karfgin, Katie Kraintz, Emily Lynch, Tami Mayer, Megan Stuermann, and Suzanne Van Fleet have committed that they are ready to pursue a Clemson education and start their collegiate career as a part of the Clemson rowing team.

Jaime Horgan, Tami Mayer, Vernita Boone, and Abbey Fernandez will be joining Clemson from Tampa, FL. Both Horgan and Mayer row unaffiliated since Sickles High School does not sponsor a rowing team. Instead, they train together under coach, Dr. Baines. They compete in Quad events during the summer, where they row with Vernita Boone. Boone also trains and competes during the school year with Hillsborough High School. Fernandez will come to us, full of energy, from Plant High School, where she is a coxswain. Also from Florida is coxswain, Liz Giannini from Stanton Prep in Jacksonville, FL,

Krista Gregan from Pittsburg, PA rows with North Allegheny Rowing Association. Gregan was a former teammate of current Clemson Rower, Jen Landis. Kristin Karfgin, Laura Dunbar and Suzanne VanFleet also committed to Clemson from the Northeast. Karfgin, from Annapolis, MD currently rows for the Annapolis Rowing Club and attends St. Mary’s High School. Laura Dunbar will join us from Pittsford, NY. There, Dunbar rows for Pittsford Crew and attends Pittsford-Mendon High School. VanFleet joins the Tigers from Exton, PA where she rows for Wilmington Youth Rowing Association. She attends B.Reed Henderson High School.

Katie Kraintz, from Lexington, SC, will leave the Gamecock territory to become a Tiger. Currently, Kraintz attends Lexington High School and rows for the Columbia Rowing Club. Also joining us from Spartanburg, South Carolina, is Megan Stuermann. Stuermann is the sister of former football player, Russell Stuermann (Clemson ’02) who is married to former rower Megan (McGuirt) Stuermann (Clemson ’02). Stuermann, though never rowing before, has displayed a lot of interest in rowing and has a plethora of athletic talent to pull from. She attends Dorman High School. Emily Lynch also joins the Tiger Rowing team without prior rowing experience. Lynch is from Jonesboro, GA and competes for Eagle’s Landing High.

Joining us from the West Coast is Lizzy Jennings. Jennings is from Seattle, WA and rows for her high school, Holy Names Academy.

“We are really excited about the talent in our incoming class. We are looking forward to adding an additional contingent to this early signing group in the spring. The impact that these talented student-athletes will have on the program will be significant,” says Head Coach, Susie Lueck. “This years recruits have had an immediate impact on the Tiger Rowing program and we are looking for this group of new Tigers to follow their lead.”