SAINT IGNATIUS' NINE-TIME MIDWEST CHAMPION CREW WRAPS UP ANOTHER SENSATIONAL SPRING.
POSTED ON 5/29/11.
CREW REPORT PRESENTED BY HEAD COACH MATT PREVITS '97.
The Wildcat Navy has safely returned from the trip to the 85th annual SRAA National Championships in Camden, NJ.
The team qualified raced the Varsity single (1x), Varsity 155lb double (2x), Junior four (4+), Junior eight (8+) and Varsity 155lb (8+).
The Varsity 155lb 8+ advanced through the heats and semifinals into the Grand Final on Sunday, where they earned a 6th place finish.
The Junior 8+, comprised of five sophomore and three junior oarsmen, clocked the fastest time in both the heats and semifinals on a path to the Grand Final. Lining up alongside the Blue and Gold were Pine Crest (Florida), Chaminade (Long Island, NY), Canisius (Buffalo, NY), Saint Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, PA) and Washington-Lee (Virginia).
The Wildcats and Hawks from Saint Joe's Prep exchanged strokes for the length of course, with the lead changing hands several times and the margin between the two crews was no more than a few feet. As the mile long race closed to the last 100 meters, the race remained in question as both crews strained for the finish line.
As the crews blasted across the line, no one on shore knew as the race was a true photo finish.
After reviewing the finish line film and cameras, the 1-mile race was decided by less than 3 inches. The Blue and Gold finished second to the Hawks by 0.05 seconds, or 1/2 of 1/10 of a second.
Congratulations to the lads on a silver medal performance - closing out a phenomenal season.
NINE IS MORE THAN FINE.
POSTED ON 5/23/11.
PRESENTED BY SAINT IGNATIUS HEAD CREW COACH MATT PREVITS '97.
Wildcat Navy earns 9th Midwest Scholastic Rowing Championship.
On Monday, May 2nd, the Blue and Gold learned that Lake Harsha, the site or the Midwest Championships, was 33 feet above normal. With little hope of the water level returning to normal, the races were moved back one week and transplanted to Oak Ridge, TN.
Saturday morning and afternoon, the rowers placed 14 crews into the Sunday final races. This was the most of any program and put the team in a strong position to claim the team championship.
Sunday began with the Novice 8+ earning a silver medal, coming up short to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s. In one of the most exciting finishes of the day, the Varsity 155lb 2x claimed the team’s first ever gold medal in the event by sprinting in the last 50 meters to a victory by a narrow 8 seconds. The Varsity 2x followed immediately after with a silver medal performance.
The Novice 155lb 4+ rowed from 5th into 3rd in the last 1/3 of their race, missing second place by .6 seconds, but earning a bronze medal. A few races later, the Varsity 2- rowed to a first-ever silver medal.
The Men s Varsity 8+, the fastest boat in the program, consists of 5 sophomores and 3 juniors, which made it also eligible to race in the Junior 8+ category. The lads won handily and, for the first time, the men of Ignatius brought home the gold in the Junior 8+ category.
The Varsity Lightweight 4 and Varsity 4x earned 4th, while the Freshman 8+ and Junior 4+ raced to 5th place finishes.
As the day closed out, the championship was in the balance with at least four teams (Saint Ignatius, New Trier, IL, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, and Central Catholic, PA) all pushing for the team championship.
The 3rd Varsity 8+ delivered a bronze medal, while the 2nd Varsity 8+ missed the medals, earning a 4th place finish.
The Varsity Lightweight 8+, packed with 155lb oarsmen, shot out at the start of the 7-boat final race, settled in ahead of the field and never looked back. The crew of 6 juniors and 2 seniors avenged their earlier loss in the 155lb 4+ by dominating the race and earning a gold medal.
In the final race of the day, the Varsity 8+, fresh off a race three hours before, raced out of the starting line in the pack of the top 6 boats. The top five separated from the field with Central Catholic (PA) and New Trier (IL) leading the way and Loyola Academy (IL), Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (MI) moving seat to seat.
At the 1,000 meter mark, the Pride of the Fleet pushed Orchard Lake St. Mary's into fifth place. With 500 meters to go, the Saint Ignatius V8+ made an aggressive move and rowed right through Loyola Academy and into third place.
This is the 3rd time in the program's 22-year history that the Varsity 8+ has earned a medal.
The Blue & Gold accumulated the most points and was awarded its 9th overall Midwest Scholastic Rowing Championship. Congratulations to the Blue & Gold!
SAINT IGNATIUS ROWS TO ANOTHER MIDWEST CHAMPIONSHIP
POSTED BY EDDIE DWYER ON SUNDAY EVENING, 5/22/11.
CREW REPORT PRESENTED BY COACH MATT PREVITS '97: Three weeks ago, the crew was informed that the race site for our annual championships was under 33 feet of water. As a result, the coaching staff took the lead to make the race a reality at the only location available - Oak Ridge, TN.
From 2004 to 2009, the Wildcat Navy earned six consecutive team championships.
Last year, we finished third.
This afternoon, the lads reclaimed the Midwest Championship.
The squad earned Gold in the Junior 8, Lightweight 8 and LTW 2x, Silver in the Novice 8, Varsity 2x and Varsity 2 and Bronze in the Varsity 8, 3rd Varsity 8 and Novice LTW 4.
There were several 4th and 5th place finishes and we placed 14 boats in the finals. Three crews have earned slots at the U.S. National Championships this coming weekend.
SAINT IGNATIUS' CREW RECAP.
PRESENTED BY HEAD COACH MATT PREVITS '97 AND POSTED BY EDDIE DWYER ON 4/10/11 AT 2:52 P.M.
THE WILDCAT NAVY PERSEVERES DURING WHAT WAS AN EVENTFUL WEEK AND WEEKEND, TO SAY THE LEAST..
The Wildcat Navy was scheduled to spend Friday evening and Saturday in Marietta, Ohio at the 21st running of the Lindamood Cup. The heavy rain caused flooding and unsafe current on the Muskingum River, forcing the regatta to be rescheduled.
Not to be deterred, the coaching staff quickly assembled a race at Lake Dillon, Ohio, bringing together the two best teams that were planning to attend the Lindamood Cup, Marietta and Upper Arlington, for a morning of racing with Saint Ignatius.
The Crew Cats won every race of the day by convincing margins, in the cases of the Varsity 8+, Varsity Lightweight 8, Varsity 4, and Varsity Lightweight 4+, and Novice 4+ finished 1st and 2nd.
Overall, the squad won the Varsity 8+, 2nd Varsity 8+, Varsity Lightweight 8+, Freshman 8+, Varsity 4+, Varsity Lightweight 4+, Junior 4+, and Novice 4+.
The only sour note to the day was during the celebration. It's traditional in the sport of rowing for a winning crew to throw their coxswain (the athlete that steers the shell and directs the crew during the race) into the water. The varsity lightweights were in the process of throwing junior coxswain Mike Gemperline into the water when he landed awkwardly on this right leg and broke his fibula. Mike will be in a cast for 4-6 weeks, but should have no problem driving boats during that time.
MORE ODD HAPPENINGS FOR THE CREW: Due to lightning, the team did not train on the water this past Monday. Rather, the freshman/novices ran stairs and hills while the varsity used the rowing machines.
As the novices were returning to school from their run, I received a phone call to head to the boathouse.
It turns out that one of the launches had been flipped over and was under water. No one was involved or injured. This appears to have happened when a freighter passed by and used its maneuvering thrusters. We are waiting on a report from Great Lakes Towing to confirm this theory.
The U.S. Coast Guard was informed of the incident and came onsite to take pictures and fill out a report for compliance with the 1990 Oil Pollution Act. Thanks to the help of Sgt. Keith Campbell (father of Kyle '12), Coach Paul Sabataitis, Coach Justin Kershaw, Coach Tim Telep, and Coach Pat Connor we were able to move the smaller launch, the Brother Boynton, S.J., from on-top of the flipped launch, the Dale (named in honor of Dale Gabor).
After the launches were separated, the Dale was towed to the other dock and eventually rolled over a tow truck cable. The engine (Honda 15hp longshaft), starter assembly, battery for lights, speaker system, and all other mechanical/electrical systems were destroyed by hanging upside down under water or AT LEAST 4 hours. Moreover, there is now structural buckling at the support joints that connect the pontoons to the top deck. Finally, the rudder system was damaged and no longer functions.
Fortunately, no one was injured.
SAINT IGNATIUS' CREW RECAP FOR THE WEEKEND OF APRIL 2.
PRESENTED BY WILDCATS HEAD COACH MATT PREVITS '97.
Saint Ignatius raced Saturday at the Rustbelt Catholic Championship on Lake Milton.
The Blue & Gold competed against Orchard Lake St. Mary's, the defending Michigan state champs, Toledo St. John's Jesuit, Pittsburgh Central Catholic (one of three high school crews in the U.S.), and North Catholic, also from Pittsburgh.
The results, on the whole, were good considering the Wildcat Navy only had three weeks of training on the water.
Central Catholic, a program that is always in the hunt for a National title, looked sharp and had clearly taken advantage of its spring break trip to a warm southern climate.
The Wildcat Navy will be racing in Marietta this coming weekend at the Lindamod Cup.
Here are the details from the Rustbelt Catholic championship.
Distance: 1500m. Conditions: Varied from relatively strong cross-tail wind to relatively strong head wind; however, the course was in the lee of the shore and the water was flat. No current.
Comments: The St. Ignatius lightweights won the Frances Previts Cup for the 2V race. Central Catholic won the Daniel P. Murphy Memorial Cup for the 1F race and the Christy C. Wiegand Cup for the 1V race. Central Catholic also won the Bro. Richard Grzeskiewicz, FSC Cup for the most team points.
Results: Varsity B – Central Catholic 4:48, Saint Ignatius 4:51.
2nd Varsity B – Saint Ignatius LWT 4:50, Central Catholic 4:51, Saint Ignatius 2V 4:54.
Frosh/Novice 8 – Central Catholic 5:06, Saint Ignatius 5:17.
2nd Frosh Novice 8 – Central Catholic 5:19, Saint Ignatius 5:22.
Varsity 4 – Saint Ignatius finished fourth at 5:50.
JV 4 – Central Catholic 5:41, Saint Ignatius 6:00.
Novice 4 – Saint Ignatius A was third at 6:27 and Saint Ignatius B was fourth at 8:19.
3rd Varsity 8 – Central Catholic 4:49, Saint Ignatius 5:14; LWT 4 – Saint Ignatius NTT; North Catholic NTT; Saint Ignatius B NTT; St. John's Jesuit NTT; 4th Varsity 8 – Central Catholic 5:10, Saint Ignatius 5:16.