Rowing / November 5, 2010

UM Rowers Set for Only Regatta of Fall Season

Nov. 5, 2010

Coral Gables, Fla. – Under the direction of second-year head coach Andrew Carter, the University of Miami Hurricanes rowing squad is set to open the 2010-11 campaign this weekend, competing in the Head of the Hooch Regatta at Ross Landing Park in Chattanooga, Tenn. One of the most well-respected and largest fall regattas in the country, the Head of the Hooch will serve as UM’s only fall regatta before training for the spring season.

The Hurricanes enter their only fall event with almost an entirely new team assembled by Carter and his staff, consisting of second-year assistant coach Mary Quinn, and first-year assistant Barbi Breimann. A key group of returners for the `Canes will be looked upon as senior leaders, including fourth-year rower Sarah Medland (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) and junior Theresa Recicar (Boca Raton, Fla.). Also returning for her junior season, now moving to the coxswain position for UM, is Maria Siemann (Millstone, N.J.).

Both Recicar and Siemann entered the program serving as novices in their first year. Now, Recicar is rowing bow for the Championship 4+ and the Open 8+ “A”, while Siemann serves as coxswain of the Open 8+ “A”.

“With such a young squad – over 80 percent of the travel roster is in their first year with our team – I’m interested to see how they respond to the challenge,” expressed Carter. “I think they’ve done a lot of things right this fall, and it has set a tone for a direction this young element wants to push the program.”

Sophomore Katalin Horvath (Gyor, Hungary) also returns to the varsity lineup after a stellar freshman year, in addition to classmate Kodey Williamson (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia).

“Everyone seems pretty excited about the opportunity to race this weekend,” said Carter. “We’ve had a couple of low-key scrimmages at home, but the squad is really looking forward to getting out there in a big, competitive field and seeing how they go.”

This is the second year UM is competing in the Head of the Hooch Regatta, coming away from last year’s event with two top five finishes coming in the Open 2- and the Open 8+ on the second day of competition.

The Head of the Hooch, formerly known as the Head of the Chattahoochee, began in 1980 in Roswell, Ga. In 1995, it moved to the newly renovated Ross Landing Park on the Tennessee River. The Head of the Hooch is a 5,000 meter (3.1) head race. All boats are started sequentially and will race against the clock.

For more information on the Head of the Hooch Regatta, please visit the official website at www.headofthehooch.org. The Head of the Hooch also has an official Facebook site available by clicking here, and can equally be followed through Twitter by clicking here.

For a complete list of this year’s unofficial heat sheets, please click here. Complete daily results will be posted following the conclusion of each day’s final race and can be found by clicking here.

For more information on the University of Miami rowing team, please log on to www.hurricanesports.com. Once there, you will find up-to-date news, results and information regarding the Hurricanes rowing program.

You can also keep up-to-date with all UM Athletics via twitter at Twitter.com/HurricaneSports.

Projected Miami Lineups – Head of the Hooch…

Novice 8+ “A”
Stroke: Amanda Vedros
2: Sarah Roper
3: Courtney Keller
4: Maggie Fragel
5: Chelsea Vandish
6: Julia Reisner
7: Katie Guest
Bow: Breanna Hayton
Coxswain: Stephanie Holtz