Women's Novice Prepares For 2002-2003 Season
Oct. 8, 2002
While recruited high school rowers and returning team members participate at the varsity level, the University of Miami novice program offers athletes with no previous rowing experience the opportunity to learn the sport and then race at the collegiate level. The goal of the program is to develop talented athletes into skilled coxswains and oarswomen who will go on to contribute at the varsity level in the future. Several members of the current varsity team were found right on the University of Miami campus at the start of their freshman year.
“We depend a lot on the novice program as a feeder system for the varsity squad,” says Head Coach, Debra Morgan. “Our current co-captain, Maggie Knuth, began her rowing career at the University of Miami and now finds herself in a position to lead the team to great success in 2002-03.”
Liz Payer returns to coach the novice rowers for a second year and looks forward to the opportunity. “Working with novices is an extremely rewarding experience due to the huge learning curve,” she says. “In the fall, we teach the athletes everything from how to carry a boat to how to train effectively. By the spring, those same athletes have become very skilled and physically fit and are impressive rowers in their own right. It is great to witness their self-confidence grow as they go through the year.”
Payer hopes to build on the success of last year’s team that placed second at the FIRA state championships made the grand final at the SIRA and BIG EAST Championships.
2002-03 Novice Women Roster
Name, Hometown
Colleen Block, Apex, NC
Keri Bolden, LaPlace, LA
Cody Buchser, Easton, PA
Jennie Chin, Astoria, NY
Rachel Clausing, Lansing, IL
Amy Cohen, Ft. Pierce, FL
Veronica Diaz, McCordsville, IN
Whitney Drucker, Palm Harbor, FL
Jenny Dunning, San Antonio, TX
Tess Dussling, Orlando, FL
Lindsay Dykstra, Orlando, FL
Parvin Faghihinejad, Diera, Dubai
Meredith Friedman, St. Louis, MO
Seema Gohil, Nairobi, Kenya
Pamela Grammes, Slatington, PA
Amy Gretenstein, Edmond, OK
Menna Haider, Palm Harbor, FL
Lindsey Hall, Torrington, CT
Melissa Hartman, Boca Raton, FL
Amaris Hess, Miami, FL
Katie Igras, Whiting, IN
Jessica Johns, Destin, FL
Aileen Kim Syosset, NY
Lina Luna, Bogota, Colombia
Jasmine Marques, Hialeah, FL
Molly McGuire, Burnsville, MN
Kiki Moschela, Philiadelphia, PA
Denise Neale, Indian Wells, CA
Kristen O’Toole, Port Jeff. Statian, NM
Michelle Roman, Shatin, Hong Kong
Emily Rosen, Seabrook, TX
Victoria Schwartz, Montoursville, PA
Alexis Strimeros, Orange Park, FL
Katherine Sullivan, Newburyport, MA
Dana Suryakanth, Al Gar, Kuwait
Dana Tolle, McPherson, KS
Carol Vaughan, Winchester, VA
Daisy West, Wellesley, MA
Amy Williams, Providence, RI
Karen Wright, Namherst, NY
