By Alexandria Sedlak
The Fordham women’s rowing squad is preparing for the start of its 2015 spring racing season, which begins at the end of March. The team will be going to a few different states for its races, but until then, it will be practicing.
In fact, the Rams got a head start on their training by heading down to Miami for a warm winter break, an annual trip that has taken place consecutively for the past 24 years. Senior captain Nicole Arrato commented on this trip, saying, “The trip is useful because each member of the team is 100 percent committed to becoming stronger. The three aspects of the trip always seem to be dedication to practices, preparation for the spring season and a great deal of team bonding.”
With this great team leadership, it is no wonder that the rowing squad had successful spring and Fall 2014 seasons. Last spring, the Fordham team ended its season at the Dad Vail Regatta, where it joined A-10 Conference champ University of Massachusetts as the only two A-10 teams with both varsity and junior varsity eights in the grand final.
Fordham’s varsity and junior varsity eights both placed in the top six among a field of 30 varsity teams from around the U.S., a feat which had not been accomplished in many years. In addition, the team’s top lightweight rowers participated in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships, also known as the national championships for lightweight women rowers, where they finished in third place for the second year in a row.
Though more than half of the top 20 rowers from the team graduated last year, recruited freshman and members of last year’s novice squad replaced them in the fall season. The highlight of the season was the group’s first place, record-breaking finish at the Head of the Charles Regatta in the club four, as well as its third place finish in the lightweight four.
The recruited freshman eight also made a splash, winning several fall regattas. In October, the team competed at the 2014 Fall Metropolitan Championships at the Orchard Beach Lagoon, where it took home gold in every race, both varsity and novice. These rowers will be the heart of the team for this upcoming spring season.
If the Fordham team’s last season has anything to say for it, it is that the team will have a very successful season ahead of it. The 76th annual Dad Vail Regatta, which takes place in May, will be a main event. Seniors Nicole Arrato, Ashleigh Aitchison and Tecla DiFrancesco all won the Dad Vail as freshman, and are no doubt waiting with great anticipation for their final one. Though the team still has over a month until the racing season begins, in the words of head coach Ted Bonnano, “The entire squad is looking forward to the spring season and getting back on the water soon.”
