The Fairfield University rowing team finished third in the 2009 Metropolitan Intercollegiate Rowing Association Spring Championship, scoring 85.5 total points behind wins from the women's novice 4, the women's novice 8, and the men's varsity pair. Fordham won the event with 157 points, followed by Army's 108 points.

            The men's pair continued its winning ways by beating out Fordham and Iona with a time of 7:11.7. James Jessup and Ben Andrews have yet to lose a pair race this season, and will put their unbeaten streak on the line when they travel to Dad Vail on May 7-9.

            "James and Ben beat crews that they have already beaten multiple times, so we will see how competitive they are going to be when they race the likes of Dowling, Mercyhurst, and St. Thomas to name at least three schools that have a tradition of selecting very fast pairs," Head Coach David Patterson said. "They have every reason to be confident when they get to the start line for their opening heat in Philadelphia, but simply can't afford to rely on their past results to bring them success."

            The women's novice eight won both their heat and the final, taking the heat in 7:37.2 and the final in 8:50.2. The crew included coxswain Mia Pallari, Amelia Mazzola, Alexa Hoehne, Liz Connors, Kim Kesting, Krissi Gorsuch, Katie Sillo, Bridgette Silva, and Meghan Sullivan. In the final, the student-athletes beat Army by nine seconds.

            "It's nice to get the feel-good factor back in the squad, as it builds confidence that we have athletes capable of winning medals in eights racing," Patterson said. "This was the main reason for keeping the freshmen together, and having them race the freshmen league this year instead of dropping them right in at the deep end of varsity level rowing."

            A second novice entry of coxswain Jen Sheils, Jessica Curley, Kelly Waldron, Christine Beggan, Michelle Cote, Caitlin O'Sullivan, Amanda Urena, Meredith Davide, and Emily Filiano raced but did not make the final

            "There is certainly some talented athletes and rowers that have been rowing in this group," Patterson said. "I certainly hope a good number of this crew return because I look forward to the opportunity to coach them next year on the varsity squad."

            The novice four also earned gold by winning its heat in 8:04.5 and the final in 9:30.79. The team beat out Sacred Heart, Iona, and Maritime, and Fordham for the title. Coxswain Mia Pallari, Amelia Mazzola, Jessica Keefe, Liz Connors, and Alexa Hoehne combined for the victory. The Stags also placed a B entry into the event, as coxswain Jen Sheils, Kelly Waldron, Caitlin O'Sullivan, Christine Beggan, and Michelle Cote took fourth place in their heat (8:20.45).

            "There is definitely more speed coming from the A entry," Patterson said. "They will have a good stretch on uninterrupted work in this boat between now and the Dad Vail in the novice four. As the only entry in Dad Vail, I hope they will get more sense of accomplishment as they come to end of their first competitive collegiate season."

            The women's pair of Karisten Strong and Lorna Baggot had their first competitive outing the boat class. The duo took third place behind Maritime and Iona.

            "This experience will help them tremendously as they look to get more comfortable in the boat at race pace for their opportunity to compete at the Dad Vail regatta," Patterson said

            The women's varsity four included Kaitlin Dinius, Christina DiCioccio, Jessica Keefe, Lindsay Ryan, and Mary Crowley. The crew secured second in both its heat and the final, trailing Fordham both times. In the final, they crossed the finish line in 9:26.0, less than four seconds off Fordham's pace.

            "They put in a great performance coming second in the final after having led the race for a good portion of the proceedings," Patterson said. "While they were unable to hold off the strength of the Fordham crew in the final quarter of the race, they had enough speed to hold an improving Iona quartet with Stony Brook and Army rounding out the final two places."

            Kaitlin Dinius, Alysse Merullo, Mary Catherine Taylor, Sam Rosen, and Jessica Curley composed the lightweight four entry, taking second between winner Fordham and Iona.

            "Any racing experience is good experience, as this four will no doubt come up against some very challenging opposition in the lightweight category at the Dad Vail regatta," Patterson said.

            The women's varsity eight collected a spot in the final after finishing its head with a time of 7:25.2. The crew finished sixth in the final event, crossing the line at 9:36.8. Coxswain Kaitlin Dinius, Christina DiCioccio, Alysse Merullo, Lindsay Ryan, Katie Sillo, Karisten Strong, Lorna Baggot, Mary Catherine Taylor, and Sam Rosen rowed the heat, while Kelly Waldron joined in for the final.