Oct. 21, 2009
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State crew team will get its 2009-10 campaign underway this weekend as it competes in a pair of regattas. The Aztecs will have a total of four boats at the Head of the American races in northern California and one boat at the Row for the Cure on Mission Bay in San Diego.
The Head of the American will be held on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Lake Natoma in Gold River, Calif., and is hosted by the Sacramento State Aquatic Center. The regatta has over 450 entries representing some 40 clubs and colleges in 58 race categories with the day's first event getting underway at 9:00 a.m.
The Aztecs will have three boats entered in the Women's Collegiate 8+ and one boat in the Women's Novice 8+. San Diego State has not competed at the Head of the American since the fall of 2006 when its three boats finished fifth, seventh and 12th in a field of 21.
A total of 14 boats will be competing in the Novice 8+ race which is scheduled for a 10:15 a.m. start. Entries include teams from Cal, Pacific, St. Mary's, Humboldt State, Cal State Sacramento, Sonoma State and St. Mary's. The crew for SDSU's entry includes Marissa Caldarella (coxswain), Paige Funk (stroke), Carly Schlocker (seven), Lauren Bischoff (six), Chelsea Canha (five), Katie Sanders (four), Mallory Scarpello (three), Lily Kurkjian (two) and Kayla McKenna (bow).
In the Collegiate 8+ event, which will start at 1:45 p.m., teams from Cal, USC, Stanford, St. Mary's, Loyola Marymount, Humboldt State, Sonoma State and Mills College will be competing along with the Aztecs.
Rowing for the Scarlet and Black in the first varsity eight boat will be seniors Anna Ohrstrom (stroke), Melissa Carey (six), Jenny Anderson (four), Leslie Martz (three) and Debbie Schweer (two), juniors Jenna Wood (seven) and Stefanie Krach (five) along with sophomores Laurel Stephens (bow) and Vanessa Jones (coxswain).
SDSU's second boat will feature seniors Casi Boyle (stroke), Jaime Hilton (seven), Christian Mattos (two) and Mary Anne Hinman (bow), junior Darian Kimball (four), and sophomores Emma Peck (coxswain), Julie Moyer (six), Kristin Ingram (five) and Ali Schroeder (three).
The competitors in the third varsity eight boat will be seniors Katie Rusch (seven), Jessica Teora )six), Caitlin Stanley (four), Kristin Guissanie (two) and Keara Farrel (bow, juniors Rachel Mossinger (stroke) and Alanna Call (five) plus sophomores Carolina Trawick (coxswain) and Hillary Beard (three).
On Sunday, Oct. 25, SDSU rowing team will have a Collegiate Novice 8 boat participating in the ninth annual San Diego Row for Cure at North Ski Beach on Mission Bay. The event will raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and will start at 7:00 a.m.
For more than 20 years, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has been a global leader in the fight against breast cancer through its support of innovative research and community-based outreach programs. Since the its inception in 1994 on Portland's Willamette River, Row for the Cure® has been expanded to 11 U.S. cities and will have its first event in Europe (Frankfurt, Germany) this year.
The regattas have raised more than $500,000 in the fight to eradicate breast cancer as a life threatening disease. Of the funds raised, 75 percent will stay in the San Diego area to support uninsured and under insured women with breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and services. The remaining 25 percent of funds will support national breast cancer research.
The Aztecs Novice 8 boat for the Row for the cure will be crewed by first-year collegiate rowers Jaime Parr (Coxswain), Kalynn Craig (stroke), Kirsten Atkinson (seven), Morgan Gleason (six), Sarah Bresse (five), Angela Strohbeck (four), Kaylee Nelson (three), Samantha Stauber (two) and Natalie Marroquin (bow).