| 5/15/2006 10:43:35 AM

PHILADELHIA, PA - The RIT men’s varsity lightweight four swept the field for the gold, defeating 26 crews 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 Division I schools Marietta College, Fordham University, Boston College, Cal Berkeley, and the University of Pittsburgh.

The Dad Vail champions were stroked by senior, Travis Driscoll (Aeru, NY/Seton Catholic); at three seat sat, sophomore, Matt (Duke) Bonaventura; two seat, sophomore, Matt Hebdon; bow seat, junior, Chris Frey (Reistertown, MD/Franklin); 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.

After the one-time weigh in, the Tigers quickly showed they were hungry to race. In Friday’s heat they raced to a first place finish with Pittsburgh finishing second and Cal third. Eliminated from advancing were Notre Dame, Lehigh, and Clemson. Again in Saturday’s semi-final, the Tigers finished first with Boston College trailing second, qualifying them both for the grand final later that afternoon. Eliminated were Binghamton, American, and Georgia Tech.

Thunderstorms Saturday afternoon delayed racing for two hours. When the sun finally broke through the clouds, the RIT oarsmen were called to launch their boat. Head Coach Jim Bodenstedt said a few words to them as he collected their shoes from the dock and before the rowers shoved. “Guys, stay relaxed and long. Execute that awesome start we have and crank it down the race course. Madison, remind them to breathe. Don’t be denied!” The Tigers owned the race from start to finish. Quickly going off the line at a high 45 strokes per minute, the Tigers leaped right out on the field. The race plan: get out front and watch the competition. The mission: race with excellence and win. The lightweights triumphed at the finish with a length and a half of open water, winning the first varsity gold medal ever for RIT at the Dad Vail. RIT won with a time of 6:31.2. Marietta placed second, 6:38.18 and Fordham, third with a time of 6:39.11. Boston College finished fourth, Cal Berkeley, fifth, and Pittsburgh, sixth.

RIT won the men’s JV Eight in 2000 and has earned men’s and women’s silver and bronze medals in other events at the novice and varsity level over the years, but this was a very special day commented Bodenstedt.

“This win at the Dad Vail is equivalent to winning an event at a national championship. I think today, we just might have been the fastest collegiate, DIII four in the country. To me, and for this boat, that’s something special and a lifetime experience. I don’t think these guys and Madison will ever forget it.”

It was a happy occasion for the entire crew cheering the lightweight four on, and for the families and friends present in the grandstand to see them receive their gold medals at the awards dock. At the end of the day, Coach Bodenstedt spoke proudly of all the RIT boats. The men’s heavyweight four finished sixth in their semi. The women’s open four finished 5th, and the men’s novice eight finished sixth-- a strong showing from a program working hard to move from good to great. The success of the last two weekends brings RIT Crew a few steps closer.

Bodenstedt concluded, “I would like to say for the record that these athletes we have this year, and the success that they had last weekend at States and, this weekend at the Dad Vail, has breathed new life into the program, and into me personally as their head coach. I couldn’t be prouder of them. They believed in themselves and this program all the way through the fall, the dead of winter, the bitterness of spring, the tough losses, and all the way to the championship heats and finals. Win or lose, true champions know the next stroke is the race! We didn’t win every race this year, but we always held on to that champion spirit.”