May 5, 2010

By Lana Morelli - The Dad Vail Regatta is one of the most well-known and prestigious collegiate rowing competitions. It is a 2,000-meter race that takes place on the Schuylkill River with more than 35 schools competing. The Dad Vail Regatta culminates the season for the Saint Joseph's women's rowing team. It is a unique event because rowing doesn't usually get to be a spectator sport, but this race draws a huge crowd and is a Philadelphia tradition.

Colleen Greway and Christina DiSanto are both seniors and captains on the Saint Joseph's women's rowing team. They row on the main boat, the Varsity 8. This year at the Atlantic 10 Championship, they helped Varsity 8 take second place. Both were members of at the A-10 champion Varsity 8 in 2009 and have earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference honors during their college careers.

Earlier this year there was discussion that the Dad Vail Regatta may move to North Jersey. The organization is a non-profit, and luckily Philadelphia raised enough money to have the race remain in Philadelphia. "It's really cool to be one of the host schools, and having the race remain in our city is such a great honor." Greway said. This year marks her second year as captain for the women's team and she has been in the varsity boat since her freshman year.

When she began as a freshman in 2007 she joined the team after they had captured a Dad Vail title in 2006. "My first year on the team was intimidating, overwhelming, and exciting. I didn't know what to expect. We ended up coming in second place, which was amazing." Greway recalls. This year, as she prepares for the race she said the feeling is bittersweet. "It's very emotional because I know it's my last one."

DiSanto has participated in the Dad Vail since her freshman year at Saint Joseph's when she rowed in the Freshman 8 boat. It was her first Dad Vail Regatta and she has a fond memory of that race. "We started our final race, it was going fine but the race was stopped because boats in lane one and lane two were hitting one another. We were really tired at this point and everyone had to start over. The varsity girls at the boat dock started chanting, "3 by 2k" (what the women call their Saturday workout). Hearing them support us really helped us get back into the race," she said. Following that year DiSanto moved into the varsity boat.

During the Dad Vail Regatta participants race three times in two days. It is taxing on the body and the Hawks have been intensely training to prepare for this. They row six days a week at 6:30 a.m. for approximately two hours. Then each woman is responsible for completing a second cardio workout about five days a week, which usually entails one hour of biking, running, or some sort of cross training. Finally, all team members are required to do individual weight lifting twice a week for about 40 minutes. "After practice in the morning we try to organize a time for some of us to do our second workouts together." DiSanto says.

Everything these women have trained for comes down to the race this weekend. Greway believes it's anyone's race but that her team is a strong contender. "I think we're definitely a competitor to win this year. We're really pushing hard in practice and we know what were capable of. There are about 10 schools that have a good fight and we are one of them."

To prepare, Greway tries to focus on the medals dock. She has already been there twice, her freshman year she won a silver medal and junior year when she took home a bronze.

DiSanto agrees, "I think we definitely have a chance, I believe we're seeded fifth but there are a lot of teams and in the Grand Final, most of the boats will be within seconds of each other."

The Hawks are a special group this year, and have worked hard all season leading up to this weekend. If Saint Joseph's can add "Dad Vail champions" to its resume, there could be an opportunity to go to the Henley Regatta in England. With Greway and DiSanto leading the way, the Hawks are definitely one of the teams to beat.