Mixed Results for Franklin Pierce
at New England Rowing Championships
Top-ranked Ravens WV4 places sixth in Saturday’s Grand Final

WORCESTER, Mass. (May 13, 2006) – The Franklin Pierce men’s and women’s rowing teams had mixed results last weekend at the New England Fours Championships and New England Rowing Championships on Lake Quinsigamond.

            The Franklin Pierce women, ranked second in last week’s NCAA Division II East Regional rankings, had its top-ranked women’s Four reach Saturday’s Grand Final, but the Ravens women’s Eight, ranked second in the East Region, struggled in its heat and was relegated to the third final on Sunday.

            The Franklin Pierce men’s Four earned a spot in the Petite Final on Saturday, while the Raven Eight also struggled in Sunday’s heat race and was forced to race in the third final.

            Franklin Pierce’s women’s varsity four, ranked first in the East Region by the NCAA Championship selection committee, placed second in its morning heat race, completing the 2000-meter course in 7:57.799, to reach the Grand Final. Middlebury College won the heat with a time of 7:45.505. The Ravens took sixth overall in the Grand Final with a time of 8:09.774, while Connecticut College captured the gold medal with a time of 7:44.095.

            Rowing for Franklin Pierce were sophomore Blair Granum (Worcester, Mass./Doherty) at stroke, junior junior Elizabeth Ward (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) at two seat, freshman Brooke Oliverson (Westport, Conn./Hyde School) at three seat, with junior Meagan Gross (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) in the bow and freshman Vanessa Leon (Lenox, Mass./Lenox) as the coxswain.

            The women’s second varsity four also reached the Grand Final in its class, posting a time of 8:08.557 for a third-place finish in its heat. The Ravens placed sixth in the Grand Final with a time of 8:03.309.            

The men’s varsity four placed fourth in its heat, completing the 2000-meters in 7:13.315, to earn a spot in the Petite Final where the Ravens posted a nearly identical time of 7:13.792 for a fourth place finish. UMass Lowell, which finished just ahead of the Ravens in the heat race, won the Petite Final with a time of 7:01.179. Franklin Pierce finished just over a second behind third-place Worcester Polytechnic Institute (7:12.426).

            Rowing for Franklin Pierce was sophomore Bill Eroh (Meridan, Conn./Lyman Hall) at stroke, senior Rich Connell (Billerica, Mass./Billerica Memorial) at two seat, sophomore Frank Seijas (Whittier, Calif./Whittier) at three seat and freshman John Spence (West Palm Beach, Fla./Suncoast) in the bow, with freshman Kayleigh Geyer (Carmel, N.Y./Mahopac) as the coxswain.

            A disappointing fifth-place finish in a heat race for the women’s varsity eight, ranked second in the East Region, relegated the Ravens to the third final later in the day. Franklin Pierce completed the 2000-meter course in 7:16.760 in its heat. The Ravens placed third in the third final in the afternoon, posting a time of 7:33.456, as Wellesley College won the final with a time of 7:21.367.

            Rowing for the Ravens were Gross at stroke, Granum in the two seat, Ward in the three seat, Oliverson at four seat, junior Amanda Ege (Levittown, Pa./Harry S. Truman) at five seat, sophomore Gwenn Curtis (Falls Village, Conn./Housatonic Valley) at six seat, junior Lauren Bibby (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury) in the seven seat and senior Alexis Ozimek (Chadds Ford, Pa./Unionville) in the bow with Leon as the coxswain.

            The men’s varsity eight didn’t fare much better, placing sixth in its heat with a time of 7:05.974 over the 2000-meters. Franklin Pierce improved its time in the third final, posting a time of 7:02.018 for a fourth-place finish. The University of Rhode Island won the final with a time of 6:30.069.

            Rowing for the Ravens were junior Justin Watson (Middletown, Conn./Middletown) at stroke, sophomore Tom Merkt (Enfield, Conn./Cathedral) in the two seat, Eroh at three seat, Connell at four seat, Spence at five seat, Seijas in the six seat, freshman Josh Marker (Lockport, N.Y./St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute) at seven seat and junior Nate Horowitz (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) in the bow, with Geyer as the coxswain.

            While the Franklin Pierce men’s season came to a close with the New England Rowing Championships, the women’s varsity four and eight have earned spots in the ECAC National Invitational Rowing Championships this weekend at Lake Quinsigamond.