The 2023-24 season is underway for the Rams as the Fordham rowing team started off their season at Shelton, Conn. at Indian Well State Park this past weekend. Participating in the Heart of the Housatonic, the Rams annually return to the event, with this year marking large success for Fordham compared to last year’s outing.
Junior Charlotte Maravelis led the team as the coxswain for the Varsity 8 boat, which featured seniors Elli Lewis, Maja Gunz, Brooke Gould, Annabelle Baulch and Eleanor Rodde, graduate students Jamie Forbes and Anya Casey and new addition to the Varsity 8, freshman Faith Lee.
The Varsity 8 looks pretty much the same as last year, with slight changes in Maravelis moving up to the Varsity 8 coxswain after leading the Second Varsity 8 last year.
While the group finished last season in 17th in 17:14.9, this year, the Rams completed the course in 18:21, locking down fourth overall.
Fordham’s Second Varsity 8 and Third Varsity 8 finished seventh and eighth, respectively, turning in times of 18:44 and 19:01. This, again, was an improvement over last year’s outing when the Second Varsity 8 boat was 25th in 18:36.9. Third Varsity replicated similar efforts last year, coming in right behind the Second boat, taking 26th in 18:56.2. Fordham had no Fourth Varsity 8 boat this year.
In the Varsity 4 shells, the First Varsity 4 placed fourth in 20:23, followed closely by the Second Varsity 4 at 20:25. The First Varsity 4 consisted of coxswain Stefania Rocca, Lewis, Rodde, Forbes and Casey. The Varsity 4 is missing their star rower from last year, First Team All-Atlantic 10 Maren Geier, who graduated this past spring.
The Third Varsity 4 shell crossed the line in 21:38 followed by the Fourth Varsity 4 boat in 22:47.
Now, the Rams are turning their attention to the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta this Saturday in Philadelphia on the Schuylkill River. Last year on the river, the freshman/novice 4 boat took home silver. They’ll be competing against fellow Atlantic 10 schools as they go for gold this upcoming weekend.
