July 7, 2009

PHILADELPHIA - The Saint Joseph's men's rowing team fielded a very young squad which made great strides during the course of the 2008-09 season.

The Hawks' lightweight boats had a solid season to set the stage for a promising future, and possibly a return to the success of the lightweights that was synonymous with Saint Joseph's in the 1990s. The Lightweight 8 capped off the year by earning a team-best bronze medal at the Dad Vail Regatta, with a boat comprised of Paul Leggieri, Brandon Hanna, Justin Gentile, Chase Powell, Conor Malone, Matt Benedetto, Kevin Burrows, Jordan Marwin and Sean Stewart. That crew also garnered first-place finishes at both the Murphy Cup and Knecht Cup, as well as a third-place effort at the SIRA Championships.

SJU's Lightweight 4 also turned in a strong effort at Dad Vails, reaching the Grand Final, where it finished sixth, with a crew comprised of Sarah Jost, Mike Gibel, Dave Lemon, Tom McElwee and Steve Dutcher. The Varsity 8 and Second Varsity 8 boats did not advance to the finals, with the Second V8 just missing by a fraction of a second.

The heavyweight boats (Varsity 8, Second Varsity 8) showed some good speed in the early season, but could never capitalize. The Hawks' Varsity 8 still earned a second-place finish at the Knecht Cup with a relatively young crew comprised of Ryan Pawling, Glenn Griffin, Ryan Huck, Max Schipper, Tyler Huck, Dan Gallagher, Tom Kresz, Jack Drewniak and Sean King. SJU's Second Varsity 8 took second at the Jesuit Invitational and fourth at the Bergen Cup.

The Hawks excelled in the classroom as the team posted a cumulative GPA of 3.0 and 17 rowers made the Athletic Director's Honor Roll. Senior Kevin Burrows earned a spot on the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Team for the second consecutive year, while freshman Matt Benedetto posted a 4.0 grade-point average.

Saint Joseph's graduated four oarsmen - Burrows, Drewniak, King and Marwin - so the Hawks' future is very bright as they will return seven athletes from the Varsity 8 and seven from the Varsity Lightweight 8 in 2009-10.