University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Heads To USRowing Collegiate Champs.
May 20, 2010 | Rowing
May 20, 2010
AMHERST, Mass. - The UMass Minutewomen will conclude the 2009-10 season this weekend when they will head to West Windsor, N.J. for the USRowing Collegiate Championships. Massachusetts is coming off a big weekend at the Dad Vail Regatta, where the Lightweight 8+ captured the gold medal in its championship race and the Pair took the bronze.
The first of its kind in North America, the event is open to all undergraduate rowers, varsity or club, from all divisions and will offer racing in a wide range of both sculling and sweep events geared toward many of the same boat classes raced at the World Rowing Championships.
Co-hosted by the Princeton National Rowing Association, the event will be held at the site of USRowing's National Training Center. Lake Mercer has played host to a variety of elite-level events, including numerous U.S. national selection regattas and world championship trials, as well as the USRowing National Championships.
Projected Lineup:
Lightweight Pair-A: Elizabeth Euiler, Chelsea Wakeham
Lightweight Pair-B: Megan Donovan, Ana Tocco
Pair-A: Emily Grogan, Kelsey Schachter
Pair-B: Teresa O'Brien, Emily Hagan
Single: Emily Boucher
Lightweight Singles: Emily Boucher, Kimberly Patrick
Double: Alexandra DiMatteo, Amanda Doolin
Lightweight 8+: Carly Payne (cox) Elizabeth Euiler, Chelsea Wakeham, Ana Tocco, Megan Donovan, Amy Nash, Tory Gordon, Kim Patrick
Openweight 8+: Samantha Schneorr (cox), Samantha Smith, Katelyn Allocco, Katie VonZweck, Michaela Streitfield, Alexandra DiMatteo, Amanda Doolin, Rachel Spielberg, Megan Rodgers
Varsity 4+: Molly Bogle (cox) Jennifer Coyne, Jessica Stern, Meredith Kearney, Kathryn Kern
Quad: Samantha Smith, Katelyn Allocco, Rachel Speilberg, Megan Rodgers
Checking the Forecast:
• Temperatures are expected to remain in the mid-to-high 70s throughout the weekend in West Windsor. Saturday will see cloudy skies with winds staying around 10mph, while thundershowers on Sunday could pose a problem on Lake Mercer.
Last Time Out:

• The Lightweight 8+ won its championship race for the second straight week to pace UMass Rowing at Day Two of the Dad Vail Regatta on Saturday in Philadelphia. The Minutewomen knocked off Georgia Tech by eight seconds, clocking in with a time of 7:22.505 to capture the Dennis Kamrad Trophy.
• UMass' Heavyweight 4+ boat got the Minutewomen off to a fast start on Day One at the Dad Vail Regatta with an eight second win over North Carolina with a time of 7:21.314. It was a two-boat race in the semifinals of the Varsity Heavyweight Four as Buffalo and UMass went toe-to-toe for a spot in the championship race. The Bulls nabbed the top spot with a time of 7:23.015 while the Minutewomen followed close behind at 7:27.849, eight seconds ahead of third place finisher Delaware. Massachusetts couldn't keep up the energy in the championship race, however, finishing fifth with a time of 8:30.699 behind first place finisher Western Ontario.
• Emily Grogan and Kelsey Schachter continued the torrid pace for Massachusetts by knocking off Georgia Tech by ten seconds, clocking in at 8:01.602. The pair continued to impress during the semifinals, crossing the finish nine seconds ahead of second place Clarkson (8:05.964). Brock and Fairfield, however, got the best of the duo later in the morning during the championship race as the Minutewomen captured the bronze with a time of 8:23.457.
• Although the Varsity 8+ finished third in its opening heat with a time of 6:51.122, the Minutewomen fought back with a tough win over Loyola and Old Dominion at 7:03.771 to secure a spot in tomorrow semis. The Varsity 8+ saw some familiar faces in conference foe St. Joseph's, which was looking for a similar result over UMass from April's Atlantic 10 Championship. The Hawks got just that, finishing second (6:58.625) and claiming the final spot in the championship race while the Minutewomen rowed into the fifth spot with a time of 7:13.599.
• The Novice 4+ and Novice 8+ ran into some trouble during their respective semifinal heats. The Novice 4+, coxswained by Caitlyn O'Leary, placed sixth with a time of 8:02.772, finishing behind the likes of Fairfield, Buffalo and Ohio State. Em Chiu's Novice 8+ clocked in at 7:32.427, good for a fifth place finish, but once again it was the Bulls getting the best of Massachusetts.
Donadio And Kern To Bike 5,000 Miles For Scholarship Fund:

• Seniors Isabella Donadio and Kathryn Kern plan to bike 5,000 miles over the summer in hopes of raising money for a UMass Scholarship fund. The duo established, "A Trek For Tuition," and are aiming to raise a semester's worth of tuition for UMass.
• They will kick-off their 5000 mile self-guided, unassisted adventure on Cape Cod, June 25th, and bike to Virginia. From Virginia they will cycle the TransAmerican trail to Pueblo, Colorado, where they will eventually hook up with the Western Express Route and venture out to San Francisco.
• To follow along as the two seniors bike across the nation, or to make a donation to the cause, be sure to check out their blog by clicking here.
Donovan Racks Up Academic Accolades:
• Senior Megan Donovan (Orange, Mass.) was recently named the UMass Female Scholar Athlete of the Year at the Senior Banquet on Monday. She posted a 3.966 GPA as a kinesiology major, and was also named the Atlantic 10 Student-Athlete of the Year. Donovan was the lone Minutewoman named to the A-10 All-Academic team. For the official release from the Atlantic 10, click here.
• It was the second straight season that Donovan was named to the Academic All-Conference team, and was also nominated for the Cosida Academic All-American Team, presented by ESPN The Magazine.
• Donovan has been an integral part of the Minutewomen squad throughout the 2009-10 season. She was a member of the Second Varsity 8+ and Quad boats that earned runner-up finishes at the annual Atlantic 10 Championships. Her First Team All-Conference selection helped Massachusetts to a second place finish at the conference championships out of a nine-team field.
Four Minutewomen Named To Atlantic 10 All-Conference Teams:

• Following the Atlantic 10 Championships, four Minutewomen were named to the A-10 All-Conference teams. Samantha Smith and Megan Donovan were named to the first team, while Amanda Doolin and Alexandra DiMatteo were named to the second team. 

• Smith, Doolin and DiMatteo are part of UMass' Varsity 8+ boat that finished fifth at 6:54.04. It was the first All-Conference selection for Smith and DiMatteo while Doolin was named to the second team for the second straight season. Doolin broke the Novice 2K erg record in 2008.

• Donovan races in the Second Varsity 8+, which finished second at the A-10 Championships with a time of 6:49.91. She also raced in the Quad, which placed second (7:22.77) to secure her first All-Conference Selection.
Breef-Pilz, Donovan, Hold UMass 2K Erg Records:

• UMass rowers Adrienne Breef-Pilz and Megan Donovan secured the top times on the erg for lightweights and novices, respectively, earlier this season. Donovan's 2k time of 7:28.40 is the fastest for any Minutewoman lightweight in team history, while Breef-Pilz is the quickest novice in the 2k in the last 15 years with a time of 7:22.40.
• A First-Team All-Conference selection, Donovan helped the Lightweight 8+ to the gold medal at the Dad Vail Regatta, clocking in with a time of 7:22.505, eight seconds ahead of second-place finisher Georgia Tech. The Orange, Mass. native was also part of the Second Varsity 8+ boat that captured the silver medal at the Atlantic 10 Championships, clocking in at 6:49.91 and the second place finishing Quad (7:22.77). Donovan was recently named the Atlantic 10 Rowing Student-Athlete of the Year as well and the UMass Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
• Breef-Pilz (Mansfield, Mass.) is a newcomer to the Minutewomen squad this season, racing as part of the novice team. She was part of the Novice 8+ boat at the Dad Vail regatta that reached the semifinals with a third place finish in its preliminary heat with a time of 8:07.13, just behind St. Joseph's and Drexel. Breef-Pilz was named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll following the Fall 2009 semester.
Varsity Four Setting The Pace:

• The UMass Varsity 4+ has been pacing the Minutewomen throughout the past few weeks. The squad of Jennifer Coyne, Meredith Kearney, Kathryn Kern, Jessica Stern and Molly Bogle (coxs) finished first at the A-10 Championships. The boat also competed in the Petite Final at the Knecht Cup, racing to a second place finish. While the members have changed sporadically as the season's progressed, Kern has been the lone Minutewoman in the boat all season.
Boucher Finding Her Stroke:


• Rising sophomore Emily Boucher (Lee, N.H.) is quickly making name for herself on the UMass Rowing squad. As part of the Second Varsity 8+ at the Atlantic 10 Championships, Boucher helped the boat to a second place finish in the Grand Final with a time of 6:49.91. She also helped the Quad place second behind St. Joseph's (7:22.77).

• Boucher finished first in the Single at the Knecht Cup, finishing with a time of 8:37.15 ahead of second place Duke. She finished second in Saturday's semifinals (8:49.37) to qualify for the final event. She has also raced in the Varsity Four at both Holy and at the Yankee Cup.
UMass In The National Polls:



• After capturing the gold medal at Dad Vails, the Minutewomen moved up two spots to the No. 7 ranking in the USRowing Collegiate Poll for the Lightweight Varsity Eight. Massachusetts has also been ranked at No. 12, No. 10 and No. 9 at various points during the season.
• UMass dropped three spots in the cMax poll for the second straight week, down to No. 58. Also included in the poll were conference foes Temple, Fordham, St. Joseph's and Rhode Island.
Dietz Elected To National Rowing Hall of Fame:




• UMass Head Coach Jim Dietz was inducted into the National Rowing Hall of Fame on March 21 at Mystic Seaport. Dietz competed in two Olympics in the men's single in 1972 and 1976, where he finished fifth and seventh, respectively. He was also a member of the 1980 United States Olympic team in the men's double.


• As an athlete, Coach Dietz was a five-time member of the U.S. World Championship team in the 1x and 2x, and won a silver medal in the single at the 1974 Lecerne World Championships.



• Dietz won more than 30 United States national titles between 1968 and 1983, and 25 Canadian national titles.


• Dietz is the only rowing coach in UMass History, and has guided his teams to 13 Atlantic 10 titles and was named the A-10 Coach of the Year on seven different occasions.
20 Rowers Named To A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll:



• Bernadette V. McGlade, Commissioner of the Atlantic 10, announced that 103 UMass student-athletes have been named to the A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll following the Fall 2009 semester. Among those, 20 members of the rowing team were included on the list.


• To be an Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll honoree, a student-athlete must earn a grade point average of 3.5 or better. The A-10 named nearly 1,200 athletes to this list.


• The Minutewomen were led by the junior and freshman classes, which had six student-athletes from each class, while the senior and sophomore classes had four representatives each.
