henley royal regatta/letterwinners
2010 WEST VIRGINIA rowing
Henley Royal Regatta - A Royal Finish Take five women who never rowed prior to college, give them an experienced coach and boat and this is the fairytale story of the West Virginia women’s rowing team. After a successful showing in the program’s debut season, the Varsity 4+ did something outstanding – qualify for rowing’s most prestigious event – the Henley Royal Regatta. When the four team of Tina Griffith, Risha Kelley, Erin Nisbet, Noelle Dodge and coxswain Christine DeRienzo finished first at the Dad Vails Regatta, the nation’s largest collegiate race, the team was selected to represent the United States at the Henley. The Mountaineers were selected to attend the big dance by the organizers of the Dad Vails not only for their first-place finish, but also because they felt WVU had the best chance of winning in England, even though no team that the committee had selected had ever made it past the second round. The team was excited to travel to England and represent West Virginia and the U.S. at such a prestigious international regatta. In the town of Henley, rowing is the premier sport and is the center of the town’s attention. “The town of Henley was great,” now assistant coach Tina Griffith says. “You didn’t have to explain to everyone what rowing is like you do here, and the town isn’t really big. It is just one big mass of rowers and people who hold it in high regard. It was definitely a different feel. “ The regatta began in 1839 and has been held each year since, except during the World Wars. It started as an afternoon event, but is now held over the course of five days with more than 500 teams competing in 17 events. Because the Henley began before either the England Rowing Association or the International Rowing Federation were created, the Royal Regatta features a longer course and a different style of racing. The women’s course is one mile and 550 yards, which is slightly longer than the distance of 2,000 meters that the team was familiar rowing. The women only raced one team at a time, with the winner advancing to the next round. “The race format is completely different there than it is in normal races,” Griffith says. “Here you race in heats, like sprints in track, but there it was one-on-one each race, like a bracket. It was more personal and you got to do a lot more racing. Each time it felt like there was more on the line, only one was surviving, not the top three.”
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letterwinners Name Abernethy, Kate Alicea, Christina Arbogast, Lori Ayers, Meg Baylor, Katie Benda, Kimberly Bissett, Brooke Blume, Whitney Boehler, Emily Brooks, Brittany Brown, Ashley Brown, Stephanie Brownson, Kaitlyn Buch, Laura Bush, Megan Canales, Nicole Clark, Shannon Cruikshank, Cara Davison, Christy D.L.Bourdonnaye, Gaetane DeRienzo, Christine Dodge, Noelle Dugan, Teresa Edwards, Carla Everett, Caitlin Frizzell, Susan Garcia, Lesley Goodman, Erin Goren, Laura Griffith, Tina Hanbury, Gillian Heier, Michelle Hirsh, Amanda Kane, Melissa Kelley, Risha
Hometown Princeton, N.J. Elkins, W.Va. Morgantown, W.Va. Dayton, Ohio Dublin,Ohio. Comox, B.C. Morgantown, W.Va. Shepherdstown, W.Va. Pittsburgh, Pa. Nanaimo, B.C. Bluefield, W.Va. Liverpool, N.Y. Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Lyme, Conn. Springfield, Va.. Warrington, Pa. Wheeling, W.Va. Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Cross Lanes, W.Va. Boulogne, France. Bethpage, N.Y. Philipi, W.Va. Gaithersburg, Md. St. Catharines, Ontario Ballston Spa, N.Y.. Walkersville, Md. Orlando, Fla. Williamshon, Pa. El Dorado Hills, Calif. West Liberty, W.Va. Whitefish Bay, Wis. Upper Arlington, Ohio. Pittsburgh, Pa. Seaside Park, N.J. Fairmont, W.Va.
Years Letters 2001-2003 3 2007-2008 1 2001-2001 1 2002-2006 4 2002-2006 4 2006-2009 3 2001-2001 1 2006-2007 2 2006-2008 2 2006-2008 2 2001-2001 1 2007-2009 2 2006-2008 2 2002-2004 2 2005-2008 3 2004-2007 4 2001-2001 1 2003-2005 3 2003-2005 2 2002-2004 3 2001-2002 2 2001-2002 2 2006-2007 2 2006-2007 2 2002-2006 4 2001-2001 1 2006-2007 2 2001-2003 3 2003-2006 4 2001-2003 3 2007-2009 2 2005-2007 3 2009-2009 1 2006-2007 2 2001-2002 3
WVU’s four team started the competition strong, sailing though the first, second and third rounds, before eventually losing in the finals to Oxford Brookes University (England). Although the team was eliminated, they broke the course record and made it farther than any other team the Dad Vails committee had selected. “I was very grateful for the opportunity, and it was exciting, but it was mainly another opportunity to prove ourselves,” Griffith says. “To be honest, it really didn’t matter the competitor, we just wanted to race and win, and that is one big reason why I think we did so well.” Attending the Henley was a royal finish to the team’s Cinderella year and an experience they will never forget. The team not only made a mark in the program’s first season; they set the bar for future Mountaineers in seasons to come.
Name Kelly, Jessica Kratovil, Quinn Krumoltz, Brett Keslin, Angie Leslie, Kirsten Loya, Kat Mahasky, Amanda Maritato, Jaclyn Martini, Jess McCall, Maclyn McLaughlin, Erin Meyers,Alita Nisbet, Erin Ostrom, Megan Payne, Amelia Perna, Bethaney Phillips, Kensie Reed, Robin Rettig, Caroline Roof, Stephanie Rook, Bethanne Scherger, Christy Shealy, Anna Short, Elizabeth Spencer, Jenelle Stevenson, Keyara Stilwell, Virginia Stullken, Donna Sullivan, Courtney Thompson, Joanna Viglianco, Rachel Walsh, Kathryn Welty, Mollie Will, Megan Yeager, Morgan
Hometown Wexford, Pa. Fairfax Station, Va. Reading, Pa. Chatanooga, Tenn. Sydney, Austrailia Silver Spring, Md. Freehold, N.J. Rockaway, N.J. Tinton Falls, N.J. Rainelle, W.Va. Bel Aire, Md. Elizabeth, Pa. Somerset, N.J. Dumfries, Va. Edmonton, Alberta Westminster, Md. Mount Maunganui, NZ Princeton, W.Va. Cincinnati, Ohio Harrison City, Pa. Newtown, Pa. Charlotte, N.C. Agusta, Ga. Bethesda, Md. Sidney, B.C. Ranson, W.Va. Alexandria, Va. Agusta, Ga. Woodbridge, Va. Rockville, Md. St. Albans, W.Va. Kensington, N.H. Woodbridge, Va. Brentwood Bay, Victoria Morgantown, W.Va
Years Letters 2009-2009 1 2009-2009 1 2009-2009 1 2001-2001 1 2001-2005 4 2006-2008 2 2007-2009 2 2000-2001 1 2002-2004 2 2000-2001 2 2002-2005 3 2007-2009 2 2000-2003 4 2007-2008 1 2001-2005 4 2007-2008 1 2007-2008 2 2003-2006 4 2006-2009 3 2007-2009 2 2001-2002 1 2002-2003 1 2001-2003 2 2006-2007 2 2009-2009 1 2009-2009 1 2006-2007 2 2001-2005 4 2003-2005 3 2007-2008 1 2009-2009 1 2009-2009 1 2006-2007 2 2003-2005 3 2007-2008 1