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The RIT men’s varsity lightweight four swept the field for the gold at the prestigious 2006 Dad Vail Regatta held in Philadelphia May 12th and 13th. The Tigers raced through a heat and semi-final pitting them against some of the best crews in the country, ultimately earning them a place in the grand final racing against Marietta College, Fordham University, Boston College, Cal Berkeley, and the University of Pittsburgh.

The Dad Vail champions were stroked by senior, Travis Driscoll; at three seat sat, sophomore, Matt (Duke) Bonaventura; two seat, sophomore, Matt Hebdon; bow seat, junior, Chris Frey; and cox’n, sophomore, Madison Shelestak. On Thursday, preceding the beginning of racing on Friday, all lightweights in the event had to weigh in, with no individual oarsman allowed to weigh more than 160 pounds, along with the boat having to average 155 pounds or less.