May 7, 2007

Fairfax, Va. - For the third year in a row, Loyola's Men's Varsity 8 has won its event at the Mid-Atlantic Crew Championships. The crew of Devin Marsicovetere, Tom Scida, Ed Garnett, captain Doug Brown, Cody Kishur, Tom Bellew, Jack Vitanovec, Dan Reardon, and Laura Fischer knew that a win at the event would require their best efforts, which they delivered.

In the championship race, Head Coach Al Ramirez's crew was pushed hard from the start by a strong George Mason crew before finishing just 2 seconds back from the Greyhounds. Johns Hopkins and Maryland finished 3rd and 4th respectively with William and Mary and Catholic finishing 5th and 6th.

"This is a big win for our program," said Brown. "Crews at this regatta are always improving, and this win shows that we are getting faster every year. Hopefully the guys will work hard again next so they can come back and win it for a fourth time."

Also racing for the Hounds, the junior duo of Zach Reichenbach and Matt Spalluzzi took 3rd in the Men's Varsity pair, falling to crews from Carnegie Mellon and Fordham.

The Men's Novice 8, led by Nick Miano, took 7th over all, winning the petite final over St. Johns by 4.5 seconds.

On the women's side, led by Nikki Yeager and captain Lauren Opalenski, the Varsity 8 took 4th, losing to Fordham, Mary Washington, and George Mason.

Also, racing for the women's team was the Second Varsity 8. Led by Kelly McDermott, the crew took home the bronze medal, topping Scared Heart, but losing to George Mason and Mary Washington.

The crew team will be back in action this weekend at the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia, Pa.