Women's Rowing Prepares For 2002-2003 Season
Oct. 7, 2002
The University of Miami is counting on a strong nucleus of returning rowers to maintain a solid focus for the 2002-2003 school-year. 2001-2002 provided an excellent learning year for the team. We are excited to return twenty-three athletes to our varsity squad, including five returnees from the 2002 first varsity eight. With a year’s experience under the current coaching staff, the University of Miami women are setting their sights higher than ever before.
Opportunities abound for all team members in the 2002-03 school-year. Gone from last year’s varsity team is a memorable senior class, which shaped the team’s personality. Greatly missed will be 2001-02 captains Amanda Turner and Marijka VanderPol, coxswains Jenny Lee and Meg Venezia, and stalwarts Katie Weeden, Monika Manios and Bernadette Lack. Despite the losses, the Hurricanes’ future is bright.
Senior co-captain Maggie Knuth will provide veteran leadership to the group along with junior co-captain Jordanna Heywood. Heywood spent part of the 2001-2002 school-year in the first varsity eight, and will be rejoined by powerful contributors Jenny Krawec, Jacqui Julien, Ananda Chou, Anna Cohen and Bridget Gallagher to lead the team’s boat speed. Returning from the second varsity eight are Caroline Stuart, Julie Crane, Yassi Haririnia, Sara Grossman and Yennisha Pino. After being edged out for the state championship in 2002 by half a second in the first varsity eight event, there is no doubt this group is ready to step up and take the 2003 spring season by storm.
Returning from the state champion junior varsity four are senior Dorothy Clay, Rachel Sander and Melissa Saunders. Building on a solid year, these three women are expected to rise to new challenges. Other upperclassmen with a year of the Hurricane experience include Tyler Merrill, Liz Miller, Deirdre Curran and up from the novice squad Michelle Owens, Patrice Wakeley and Mary Radlinski.
Newcomer to the Hurricanes is coxswain Laura Comeau (St. Catharines, Ontario), who is joining the Hurricanes after spending valuable training years under highly accredited Canadian coaches. Comeau successfully led her crew to national titles at both the Canadian and American high school championships. She topped off her final junior season with a win at the prestigious Royal Henley in England. Fellow first year Hurricane Ashley Marincsin is also expected to have an immediate impact. Marincsin hails from Absecon, New Jersey, where she stroked her eight to a national title at the American high school championship. Another powerful addition to the Hurricane rowing family is Jaquelene Heywood, younger sister of co-captain Jordanna Heywood. Jaquelene hails from a solid junior career in St. Catharines, Ontario. Rounding out the incoming freshman class are Phoenix, Arizona rower MacKenzie Dove, Tampa’s Taurii Coyne and coxswains Megan Gallacher (Virginia Beach, VA) and Jessica Martin (Poughkeepsie, NY).
