Black and Gold wrap season at Dad Vail Regatta
PENNSAUKEN, N.J. - The Bryant University women's rowing team wrapped up their third season as a varsity program this past weekend at the Dad Vail Regatta hosted by Thomas Jefferson University.
The Bulldogs registered three boats for the first time at the regatta after only entering two in 2023 and one in 2022. The squad competed in the Novice 4+, Varsity 4+, and Varsity 8+ events this past weekend.
How It Happened
On Friday, the Black and Gold fought off headwinds and rain throughout the day during their time trials and semifinal races. The Novice 4+ boat kicked off the events for the Bulldogs. The squad of Brooke Hammond, Sarah Bullock, Calla Puccetti, Monica Garbacz, and Addison Morin finished eighth in the trial with a time of 9:18.425. The N4+ boat then improved their time in the afternoon semifinals by laying down a time of 9:09.171 for a fifth place finish, which was just over a minute faster than the sixth place Pitt.
The Varsity 4+ team of Hammond, Mollie Lytje, Sarah Oakes, Erin Prouty, and Aine McIntyre took 10th place in their time trial. They finished just over a second behind ninth place Merrimack and just over a second faster than 11th placed George Mason at 9:06.969.The V4+ team then raced to a 9:12.764 in their semifinal on Friday for a fifth place finish in that event, just five seconds off fourth placed Monmouth and five seconds ahead of sixth placed George Mason.
The Varsity 8+ squad of Gabriella Martino, Sunny Kuechle, Calla Puccetti, Bridget Moore, Megan Hart, Sarah Bullock, Olivia Manuel, Jordan Grady, and Kristia King started their day on Friday by putting down a time of 7:38.693 in their time trial for eighth place. They finished eight seconds off eighth placed Iona and a minute and fourteen seconds ahead of ninth placed Delaware.
On Saturday, the previous day's weather conditions gave way for a beautiful day on the water. The N4+ squad got things started yet again for Bryant as they competed in their final. The boat took advantage of the favorable weather conditions and took home first place in the Final 2 with a time of 8:29.361 which was nearly three seconds ahead of second place Tampa. The win put the Bulldogs in seventh place overall in the Novice 4+ event.
The Varsity 4+ team improved significantly on their Day 1 times on Saturday as well. They finished fifth in their final to put them 11th overall with their time of 8:43.743. They were just three seconds behind fourth placed Robert Morris in their final.
The Varsity 8+ team competed in both their semifinal and final on Day 2. The Black and Gold were fourth in their semifinal with a time of 7:33.409. In the final, the V8+ squad took second behind Iona with a time of 7:41.631 for an eighth place overall finish.
Up Next
This concludes Bryant's 2023-24 schedule. Stay up to date in the offseason with the women's rowing team by following along on Instagram @bryantrowing and on X at Bryant Women's Rowing.