HARTFORD, Conn. - The Fairfield University women's novice 4+ and novice 8+ opened the 2008 Fall season by earning a medal at the Head of the Riverfont. The women's novice 4+ took second place while the novice 8+ secured third place on the Connecticut River.

            The novice 4 finished behind only Trinity College in their race, posting a time of 21:16.03 behind the efforts of coxswain Mia Pallari, Amelia Mazzola, Alexa Hoehne, Jessica Curley, and Samantha Kiersey. Fairfield edged out the University of Connecticut and the United States Military Academy, and Rensselaer Poly.

            "This was a real positive performance by our freshmen recruits," Head Coach David Patterson said. "It's very important not to get carried away though. I felt we should have earned a medal and thankfully we did."

            The novice 8+ crossed the line 20:06.05 which trailed only Trinity College and the United State Military Academy. The third place medal was equally impressive with 11 entries in the race. The shell included coxswain Mia Pallari, Amelia Mazzola, Alexa Hoehne, Elizabeth Connors, Kim Kesting, Caitlin O'Sullivan, Jessica Keefe, Jessica Curley, and Samantha Kiersey.

            "I think this was a similar situation as the novice 4+," Patterson said. "Our freshmen recruits had a great deal of experience compared to the competition which showed by the team's performance. I congratulate the team for its medal."

            The men's varsity 8+ finished eighth in its race at the Riverfront, recording a time of 16:12.27, in a competition that included several experienced teams. Trinity College won the race with the United States Military Academy and the United States Coast Guard Academy taking second and third, respectively. The Stags' entry included coxswain Kate Halloran, James Jessup, Dan Liashek, Chris Melcher, John O'Hara, Matt McDonagh, Alex Papa, Greg Behrens, and Ben Andrews.

            "We were able to see where we need to be by rowing against experienced competition," Patterson said. "This means our guys will have time to step up and train at the level of their competition."

            The women's varsity 8+ collected a seventh-place finish with a time of 18:56.24 in a race which was won by Trinity College. The Stags battled hard throughout the race but ran into trouble on the winding river. The team included coxswain Susan Clancy, Lindsay Ryan, Samantha Rosen, Becca Bowes, Mary Crowley, Mary Catherine Taylor, Brianna Kouri, Christina DiCioccio, and Lauren Lipyanka.

            "This was a similar story to our men's varsity 8," Patterson said. "We simply need to work harder, not just harder than we normally do, but harder than our competition to try and catch up."

            Fairfield placed two shells in the men's varsity4+ with the A boat taking fourth place (17:38) and the B boat securing seventh place (18:40). The A team was comprised by coxswain Kate Halloran, James Jessup, John O'Hara, Chris Melcher, and Ben Andrews. The B squad included coxswain Michelle Mistretta, Greg Behrens, Steve Ligouri, John Tiene, and Jorge Espino.

            "I thought we had two good performances," Patterson said. "While we were still about the same distance behind Trinity, our top four was able to catch up some ground on Coast Guard compared to last year. I also was impressed with the much improved coxing by Kate Halloran on her second time down the river."

            The women's varsity 4+ took home a fifth-place finish behind the efforts of coxswain Susan Clancy, Lindsay Ryan, Samantha Rosen, Becca Bowes, and Mary Crowley. The boat crossed the finish line with a time of 20:07.48, while Trinity College took the gold medal.

            "This was a senior crew and I think this was a very accomplished performance by our team leaders," Patterson said. "There was much improved steering by Susan Clancy with her second trip down the course. I think our seniors can help our freshmen, sophomores, and juniors understand that if the underclassmen work hard now, they won't have to wait four years to experience success."

            The men's and women's rowing teams will return to competition on October 11 when they compete at the Head of the Housatonic in Shelton.