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RMU Rowing

Rowing

Colonials Open 2014 Season at Iona Invitational

Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University women's rowing team opened its 2014 spring campaign Saturday by taking part in the Iona Invitational in New Rochelle, N.Y.

Both of the RMU varsity eight boats posted tight races in its first competition of the spring, finishing second behind Lehigh and Fordham, respectively.

The student-athletes to make up the first varsity eight boat for the Colonials, which battled Lehigh in its first race of the season, were junior Laura Mooradian (St. Catharines, Ontario / Denis Morris) as the coxswain and senior Megan Coleman (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Northgate), freshman Erin Gunn (Buffalo, N.Y. / Holy Angels Academy), junior Kristin Fay (Philadelphia, Pa. / Philadelphia), sophomore Caitlin Ryan (Pittsford, N.Y. / Pittsford Sutherland), junior Kelsey Porter (Mount Pleasant, Pa. / Mount Pleasant), senior Gretchen Gailey (Beaver, Pa. / Beaver Area), freshman Tina Sahr (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Catholic) and junior Julie Miller (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Catholic).

Serving as the coxswain of the second RMU varsity eight boat, which was just clipped by Fordham in its first race of the 2014 campaign, was sophomore Angelica Tomlinson (Dayton, Ohio / Chaminade-Julienne). Also featured in the boat were sophomores Samantha Gunn (Buffalo, N.Y. / Holy Angels Academy) and Kelley Bittner (Gibsonia, Pa. / Hampton), juniors Heather Hodges (Valencia, Pa. / Mars Area), Brianna Hellier (Beaver, Pa. / Beaver Area) and Erica Sablofski (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Plum) and sophomores Rebekah Noorlag (Beaver, Pa. / Beaver County Christian), Paige Oster (Mantua, Ohio / Cuyahoga Valley Christian) and Donna Muschar (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Perry).

"I would consider our first race of the season a success given we've had little water time so early in the season," head coach Midge McPhail-Burks said. "We have a lot of work to do, but I'm really happy about where we are at this point in the year."

In the varsity four, Robert Morris opened its 2014 season outlasting Marist in its first competitive race of the year in a boat that featured freshmen Katelyn Goodman (Altoona, Pa. / Altoona) and Shannon Casey (Eagle River, Alaska / Frontier Charter), junior Cassandra Grafton (Hartstown, Pa. / Jamestown Area) and sophomore Bridget Robinson (Voorhees, N.J. / Eastern). Serving as the coxswain for the Colonials in the varsity four boat was junior Victoria Lomax (Willingboro, N.J. / John W. Callahan Catholic).

In novice action for Robert Morris, both boats featured student-athletes competing for the first time in their collegiate careers. The novice eight boat garnered a tight victory over Fairfield and also defeated Fordham, while the novice four hung tight with Fairfield and Marist.

"Our novice eight did an outstanding job this weekend with absolutely no prior racing experience," McPhail-Burks said. "They rowed their hearts out, and we are so excited to have them as the future of this program."

Serving as the coxswain for the RMU novice eight was freshman Olivia Bello (Voorhees, N.J. / Eastern), and she was joined in the boat by Goodman, Casey and freshmen Emily Engle-Young (Holbrook, Pa. / West Greene), Hannah Miller (Valencia, Pa. / Mars Area), Maddi Lewis (Freedom, Pa. / Freedom), Taylor Andree (Erie, Pa. / McDowell), Lindsey Lose (Birmingham, Ala. / Hoover) and Taylor Childers (Marlton, N.J. / Cherokee).

The RMU novice four featured freshmen Rebecca Fiscus (McMurray, Pa. / Peters Township), Tresa Rentler (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Mount Lebanon), Keely Fulford (Sharpsville, Pa. / Sharpsville) and Katie Kerr (Cranberry Township, Pa. / Seneca Valley), while Savanah Buhite (Oakdale, Pa. / West Allegheny) served as coxswain.

Robert Morris will open the April portion of its 2014 slate this weekend by taking part in the Sacred Heart Invitational Fairfield, Conn., Saturday, April 5, and Sunday, April 6.  


 
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