SU Women’s V8 Seeded Tenth in EAWRC Sprints in Camden on Sunday


The final seeding poll for the women’s Eastern Sprints finds Coach Kris Sanford’s varsity eight up one notch from the previous week to a #10 seed. That means the Orange women will face #3 Brown, #4 Dartmouth, #9 Radcliffe, #15 Boston College and #16 MIT in the morning heat.

Princeton gets the top seed with Yale at number two.

SU’s second varsity holds its #10 seed and will go against Yale, Columbia, Dartmouth, George Washington and Georgetown.

The third varsity is seeded #11 and will race Cornell, Princeton, Columbia and Rutgers.

The varsity four is the 13-seed and opens the day with #1 Princeton, Radcliffe, Dartmouth and Navy.


The varsity four B boat gets a #8 seed and is in the qualifying heat with Yale, Bucknell and George Washington.

Poll courtesy of row2k.com

Hotel Rooms for the Navy Ball - November 6, 2010

Please note that the Navy Ball is scheduled for the same weekend as Parent's Weekend at Syracuse University so if you are planning on attending, please book your room now.

SARA Board Member Chip Gibson has a block of rooms set aside at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in East Syracuse/Dewitt for people coming into town. Below is the contact information. Please notify the person taking your reservation that you are with the Syracuse Alumni Rowing Association.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites
East Syracuse-Dewitt
5908 Widewaters Pkwy
East Syracuse, NY 13057
Tel: 315.373.0123
Fax: 315.373.0100

*** Please note that the Navy Ball will take place at the Syracuse University Sheraton

Men's Eastern sprints heat lineups

As of today, it looks like the Men's V8 heat, scheduled for 11:12 on Sunday will look like this:

BRO, SYR, NOR, DAR, GWU, RUT.

Brown is seeded first, our guys sixth, NU seventh. Loyal fans will recall our guys have beaten Northeastern twice so far at the San Diego Crew Classic. Under the expert tutelage of Coach Dave, there's no doubt the Orange are faster - and also no doubt NU is as well.

That's not so say we are conceding anything to top-ranked Brown...

For the eighth-seeded frosh and sixth-seeded JV, we're going to be seeing a lot of Northeastern's red and black on the line (and hopefully from a fine vantage point in front of NU during the racing as well). Their heat lineups are as follows:

JV - 11:12 = BRO, SYR, YAL/BOS, NOR, PEN - there are only five boats, and my GUESS is we'll see either Yale or BU, as they are tied for the seventh seed. Recall that our guys beat BU handily at the Conlan Cup way back in April.

Frosh - 10:36 am = COR, PRI, SYR, WIS, NOR, GWU

SU's Varsity 4 has a Grand-only at 8:30 am on Sunday, and our guys will face off with (you guessed it) Northeastern, Yale lights, MIT lights, and Yale heavies. Make no mistake, despite what the prima donnas tell you, this is where the real rowing is, far from the madding crowd, out of the glare of publicity and away from all the fans. Yes, I am wildly biased...

you can get the full heat sheet and times here.

Go Orange!

Coach Dave Esteemed in Great Northwest





At the risk of embarassing the head coach of SU Men's Crew - we direct you to a story published prior to the Windermere Cup last weekend. It's story about where Dave Reischman comes from - a story some in the Syracuse rowing community are familiar with and some, not so much.

It's worth reading. Twice.

Photo courtesy of SU Athletics/Steve Parker

SU Men Seeded Sixth - Rematch with Brown, Northeastern at Sprints


Dave Reischman’s varsity eight is going to have to prove it on the water – but that’s always been the way. The final seeding poll for the Eastern Sprints finds SU moving up one spot to the six seed – meaning it will face off with top-seeded Brown, #7 Northeastern, #12 Dartmouth, #13 George Washington and #18 Rutgers in the morning heat. The top two move on to the Grand Final.

Syracuse trailed Brown by about three-quarters of a length in the final at the San Diego Crew Classic March 28 and defeated the Northeastern Huskies by a length. SU’s third place finish (Cal won) vaulted the Orange to a number five ranking in the first US Rowing Collegiate poll. But before the first EARC poll came out a split-second loss to Cornell in awful conditions at Annapolis put the Orange at #8 in the East and dropped them to #10 in the US Rowing Poll with Washington and Cal on top.

There’s been some shuffling since then but even though the Orange crew has climbed back over Princeton and Wisconsin in the USRowing Poll, it has not been able to do it in the EARC poll. SU does not face Wisconsin or Princeton before the Sprints.

SU’s JV eight also is seeded sixth at the Sprints, setting up a heat with #1 Brown, Yale or BU (tied for 7th) Northeastern and Penn.

The frosh, who have seen limited action this season are seeded eighth and will face Cornell, Princeton, Wisconsin, Northeastern and George Washington.

Please, No Wagering – the CMax Rankings

All crews in the league are off this weekend. SU is in final exams, which come much later for at least some of the Ivies. That gives your writer some time to muse on the CMax rankings – a system that rates all crews based on performance and surmises how they’d do against each other in an “average standardized race.”

Going into the race against Washington last weekend, SU’s varsity eight was rated 8.5 seconds behind the Huskies. The Orange lost by 9.8 seconds and that’s where they rate this week. It’s tougher to do when crews don’t face each other but Chris Maxwell has been managing since coming up with CMax in 2002.

If the rankings are correct, Brown is about a half length faster than SU (1.9 seconds) and SU is about a length faster than Northeastern (3.8 seconds). Funny enough, the Orange are rated .8 seconds faster than Wisconsin and 1.1 faster than Princeton.

To put it another way – “you could throw a blanket over them.” Coach Dave Reischman said several weeks ago that there are “eight or nine crews that could be in the medals hunt at the Sprints.” Not much has changed since then. It should be some amazing racing.
Polls courtesy of row2k.com

SU Men Up One Spot in US Rowing Poll

SU Varsity Battles Washington early in the race

Two weeks ago a split second loss to Cornell dropped the SU Varsity five spots to number 10 in the US Rowing Collegiate Poll. Syracuse climbed back last week to number seven with a win over Columbia and BU. Now a 9.8 second loss to number one Washington combined with Northeastern’s six second loss to Harvard has moved the Orange up to number six in this week’s poll.

Northeastern, whom Syracuse defeated at the San Diego Crew Classic to open the season, fell from number six to number nine. Washington remains a unanimous number one.

While SU lost by more than a length of open water to Washington, the Orange held off Oxford to take second in the race and gave the Huskies a fight at the start.

“Our goal was to see how long we could hang on to their stern and we did that through the 1000m mark,” Head Coach Dave Reischman said in an email to SU Crew supporters, following the weekend racing. “We had solid rhythm and the guys were throwing everything they had at them. “

The JV also gave Washington’s JV a fight before losing by open water, and easily defeated Oregon State.

The Orange crews compete next at the Eastern Sprints in Worcester, Mass., on Sunday May 16. “I think both crews are looking forward to the next 2 weeks and really striving to see how fast we can go,” Reischman said in the email. “The goal each year is to get better each race so we do our best racing at the Sprints and IRA.”


Poll courtesy of row2k.com

SU Women Hold Their Spot in EAWRC Poll

SU Varsity Eight races hard in Seattle last Weekend

SU’s Women’s Varsity Eight is ranked eleventh in the new EAWRC poll, holding the same spot as a week ago, just two points behind # 10 Boston University, a team the Orange Women defeated in the opening race of the season in Syracuse.

Princeton is #1 as it has been in this poll all season.

IF those seeds hold for the Eastern Sprints May 16 in Camden that would mean an opening heat against #2 Yale, #5 Columbia, #8 Penn, #14 Rutgers and #17 Georgetown There is one final poll next week for the seeding.

The Orange second varsity eight moved up a spot to #10.

The third varsity dropped to #11 from #9, the varsity four slid one spot from #12 to #13 and the varsity four B stayed at #9.


Poll courtesy of row2k.com

SU Crews Battle in Seattle

The home teams ruled in Seattle as they usually do, but the Syracuse University contingent heads home with nothing to be ashamed of. The University of Washington won all four of the varsity and 2V races, but SU was a competitive second in three out of four races against some of the most powerful crews in collegiate rowing.

Click here for coverage from suathletics.com.

Note: while the men's and women's teams will be at the Eastern Sprints on May 16, that's a Sunday and while the women will be in Camden, N.J. the men will be in Worcester, Mass. as usual.

Click here for story from The Seattle Times.

Men’s Varsity Battles #1 Washington, takes second over Oxford.

Before the start of the men’s Windemere Cup race, Washington’s Director of Rowing Bob Ernst told KJR Radio Washington’s Men’s varsity eight is the best crew in America and “Syracuse is out to bite them in the knickers.” The Orange didn’t quite pull that off but they gave the Huskies a decent fight today. In the end the Huskies showed once more why they are a unanimous #1, winning by more than a length of open water.
SU was in lane one, UW in lane 2 and Oxford outside in Lane 3. Washington grabbed a seat or two off the start and stretched the lead little by little, with the Orange fighting all the way. Oxford fell behind early, then moved back on SU for a bit, but in the end the light blue finished third.

Place Entry Lane Time
1 University of Washington 2 05:39.599
2 Syracuse University 1 05:49.309
3 Oxford University 3 05:51.545



Women’s V8 Second to #7 Washington, beats Oxford.

The Orange women took off “like their hair’s on fire” according to one KJR radio commentator, (OK, that was Bob Ernst too) and gave the powerful Husky crew a fight for a bit, but Washington rowed away to win the women’s Windermere Cup by several lengths of open water. SU took second with a couple of lengths over Oxford’s women. Washington had lost to #1 Cal a week ago and was looking for a solid race today. They got it.

Place Entry Lane Time
1 University of Washington 1 06:27.514
2 Syracuse University 3 06:44.032
3 Oxford University 2 06:54.602


Men’s JV Makes it a Fight, Finishes Second to Washington

The Huskies made it a dozen years in a row winning the Erickson Cascade Cup on the men’s side, but SU made it closer than a lot of people expected. Syracuse was in contact with less than 500 meters to go. The Huskies opened it up in the sprint to win by about a half length of open water. Oregon State was a distant third.

Place Entry Lane Time
1 University of Washington 1 05:41.997
2 Syracuse University 2 05:50.111
3 Oregon State University 3 06:09.045


Washington wins Women’s 2V, SU trails.

The Huskies won by a couple of lengths of open water over Western Washington and SU trailing well behind. Western Washington is the unanimous #1 among women’s Division II varsity eights.

Place Entry Lane Time
1 University of Washington 1 06:35.300
2 Western Washington University 3 06:46.600
3 Syracuse University 2 07:01.600



All times from Powerhouse Timing via Coach Dave Weiss

Photos courtesy of Raul Biascoechea
Other racing this weekend:
Results Courtesy of row2k.com

Saturday
Men

#12 BU over #19 GW http://www.row2k.com/results/resultspage.cfm?UID=7231494&cat=1

#3 Brown (#1 EARC) over #9 Princeton (#6 EARC) http://www.row2k.com/results/resultspage.cfm?UID=8333279&cat=1


#4 Harvard (#2 EARC) over #6 Northeastern (#4 EARC) http://www.row2k.com/results/resultspage.cfm?UID=1569029&cat=1

#8 Wisconsin (#5 EARC) over #15 Dartmouth (#12 EARC) , MIT (#17 EARC) http://www.row2k.com/results/resultspage.cfm?UID=317498&cat=1


Women:

#4 Yale edges #5 Brown http://www.row2k.com/results/resultspage.cfm?UID=8474418&cat=1

Unranked (#5 EAWRC) Columbia wins Beanpot in tight race: http://www.row2k.com/results/resultspage.cfm?UID=3610995&cat=1

Sunday
Men

#8 Wisconsin over #12 Boston University http://www.row2k.com/results/resultspage.cfm?UID=7564216&cat=5

#11 Columbia over #14 Navy http://www.row2k.com/results/resultspage.cfm?UID=6239364&cat=1

Into the Great Northwest

The Orange Men and Women’s V8s and 2V8s are in Seattle this weekend to battle giants. Coach Dave Reischman’s #7 Varsity Eight takes on #1 Washington and Oxford (“ yes, that Oxford,” Reischman said in an email to SU Crew supporters. ) The JV will race the Huskies and Oregon State. Coach Kris Sanford’s unranked Varsity Eight battles #7 Washington and Oxford. The 2V goes against the Huskies and Western Washington.

Click here: http://www.suathletics.com/news/2010/4/28/MROW_0428101335.aspx
for a preview, lineups and schedule from suathletics.com.

Washington’s Men made a definitive statement last weekend with a solid win over #2 Cal and will look to make another on Saturday against Oxford and Syracuse. Oxford is likely still smarting from an upset loss to Cambridge in “The Boat Race” a few weeks back. Reischman says the Oxford crew is almost all the same oarsmen who rowed in that one.

Sanford’s varsity will be looking to show improvement against a very good Washington team and the international power of Oxford, after a third place finish at the Big East Championships last Sunday.

All SU boats go in as underdogs. All will be looking for the upset but also looking for a solid race and momentum going into the Eastern Sprints.

Live Coverage

Crew and Rowing are big in Seattle and there will be a variety of broadcast and internet coverage. Here’s a link Coach Reischman passed on from the Huskies website about that coverage and more. http://www.gohuskies.com/sports/m-crew/spec-rel/042610aaa.html

For those of us not in the Great Northwest, here’s something else to try. Since KJR Radio is carrying the races live, go to KJR’s website http://www.950kjr.com/mediaplayer/?station=KJR-AM&action=listenlive&channel_title= and we should be able to listen live to stroke-by-stroke coverage.

Remember, it’s Pacific Daylight Time so the races start at 2:10 Eastern time, etc.

Homecoming for Sanford, Reischman

It’s a homecoming for both coaches. Even though she grew up in the SU boathouse with her dad, Coach Bill Sanford, Kris Sanford rowed and starred for Washington during her collegiate career. For those who didn’t know it, her SU Athletics bio tells us “At Washington, she was the stroke of the 1987 and 1988 National Collegiate Championship varsity eight. Her teams won four straight Pac-10 titles.

“In 1996, Sanford was named to the University of Washington and Pac-10 All-Decade crew teams. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Washington in 1988.”
Reischman likes to describe himself as a “farm boy from Washington.” He went to high school in Arlington, a city of 11,000 or so in Snohomish County, north of Seattle. He rowed for Gonzaga in Spokane and graduated summa cum laude in 1987 with a degree in computer science. He later was director of rowing at his alma mater for five years before moving on to Oregon State and then to SU.

Both coaches are likely to spend much more time pushing their crews to be competitive than catching up with old friends this weekend.

Opening Day?

For those (including this writer) who’d wondered, “How can this be Opening Day?” the answer that it’s Opening Day for boating season in Washington. The big real estate development company Windermere has been sponsoring this event for some time, thus the Opening Day/Windermere Cup competition. It’s the first time for both SU’s men and women to be involved.

More: http://huskycrew.com/stewards_enclosure10.htm

Road Warriors, Top Opponents

The SU men, who have no home races this year,are in their second West Coast trip of the season. The varsity eight opened the season at the San Diego Crew Classic. SU’s race with #1 Washington means the Orange will have raced the top three crews in the nation this year, long before the IRA. SU was third at San Diego to #2 Cal and #3 Brown in a fairly tight final.

Orange Men Climb Back to #7 in USRowing Poll

Following its solid win over Columbia and BU, the SU Men's Varsity moved back up three spots in the US Rowing Collegiate Poll out today, climbing over Cornell, Wisconsin and Princeton. Yale won a tight one over Princeton and Cornell on Saturday. That moved the Bulldogs up to #5 in the poll. Wisconsin was idle over the weekend.

Northeastern climbed one spot to sixth after a wins over Pennsylvania on Sunday and Oregon State on Saturday. Brown held onto the #3 position (tops in the East) after an easy win over Dartmouth. Harvard stayed at #4 with a close win over Navy, Penn trailing.

Washington got all the votes for #1 after a solid win over Cal, which stays at #2. Syracuse takes on Washington and Oxford this weekend in Seattle.

Orange Moves Up One Spot in Sprints Poll

Voters in the EARC poll were less generous to SU in the poll that will determine seeding for the Eastern Sprints, moving the Orange up just one spot to #7. Wisconsin and Princeton remain ahead of Syracuse. Brown stays a solid #1 with Harvard #2.

Polls and results courtesy of row2k.com