Photo Gallery: Rowing Boat Dedication with Dr. Stephen Cerrone

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – After a series of successful performances in its first two regattas of the season, the 15^th-ranked Hurricanes rowing team now has its sights set on next week’s Orlando Invitational.

But even with race day looming, the team took time after practice Saturday to celebrate one of its biggest supporters, Dr. Stephen Cerrone, who christened two of Miami’s newest boats: the Dante, named in honor of his son, and the Sonny, named in honor of his father.

It was an especially heartfelt moment for both Cerrone, an associate professor at the Miami Herbert School of Business, and Miami’s rowing team, which features three student-athletes who have taken Cerrone’s classes.

On Saturday, those three students stood beside Cerrone as he spoke with the Hurricanes and encouraged them to continue pushing to excel at the highest level.

“It’s goosebumps-special, right? When those student-athletes come up to you and say, ‘That brought tears to my eyes, knowing that someone believed in us,’ that’s really powerful to me,” Cerrone said. “That’s all the reinforcement I need to continue to support them.”

Added Miami head coach James Mulcahy, “It’s a deep sense of gratitude. … For someone like himself, who’s been so consequential in the business world and the academic world to take an interest in our team … we’re literally going places that we’ve never gone before, and we never would’ve had the opportunity to go if it weren’t for him. So, I can’t really say thank you sufficiently or frequently enough for what he’s done for our team, and I know he sees the impact it’s making on our athletes here. It’s given our team just such a great experience. I mean, look at today. They just went out there and literally emptied everything they possibly had on an incredibly tough workout on the water and look how happy they are right now.”

The Dante and the Sonny are the latest boats in the Miami fleet that Cerrone has named.

He previously christened the team’s Black Panther as well.