Oct. 9, 2010

Shelton, Conn. - Complete Results

The Fordham University crew opened its fall season on Saturday at the Head of the Housatonic held on the Housatonic River in Shelton, Connecticut where the varsity 8 placed seventh and the novice four took third.

"These results are very encouraging," said head coach Ted Bonanno. "This is our best ever performance at this regatta. We beat UMass in the varsity eight and came as close to Yale as we've ever been."

In the varsity 8 race, the Rams crossed the line in 16:37.733, 50 seconds behind the Yale A boat, the four-time national champs. Yale A won the race followed by Radcliffe A, Williams, Radcliffe C, Yale B and Fordham. The Rams finished well ahead of A-10 rivals Massachusetts who placed 12th, beating them to the line by over a minute.

The Yale B boat, which was just ten seconds ahead of the Rams, will be Fordham's competition at their next event, the Head of the Charles, which will be held on Saturday and Sunday, October 23rd and 24th on the Charles River in Boston. The Rams plan on bringing one eight and two fours to the prestigious regatta, Fordham's largest group of competitors ever.

The Rams also entered a B boat in the varsity 8 which finished 14th.

In the novice 4, the Rams took third, behind winners Trinity A and second place Trinity B, and ahead of UMass, while the Fordham varsity four placed 17th in the Division I varsity event.

All together, the Rams had 27 athletes competing in the Head of the Housatonic, the largest group that Bonnano has even taken to the regatta.