Fordham University head rowing coach Ted Bonanno announced the addition of 14 student-athletes who will join the Rams for the 2013-2014 season. They are Courtney Acito (Cherry Hill, N.J./Bishop Eustace Preparatory), Julia Barr (Norwalk, Conn./Brien McMahon), Kathleen Danaher (Lindenhurst, N.Y./St. John the Baptist), Alison Furneaux (Concord, Mass./Wellesley), Sydney Keen (Reading, Mass./Phillips Academy Andover), Emily Mohri (Toronto, Ontario/Humberside Collegiate), Linda Mulé (New Hyde Park, N.Y./Herricks), Maura O'Donnell (Holland, Pa./Mount Saint Joseph Academy), Jacquelyn Ramos (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Polytechnic), Catherine Rizzo (Paramus, N.J./Academy of the Holy Angels), Sherry Sanders (Redwood City, Calif./Sequoia), Caroline Sneider (Walpole, Mass./Southfield School), Elena Wostrel (Stonington, Conn./Stonington), and Gabrielle Zuccari (Great Falls, Va./Langley).
"We are really excited about this incoming freshman class," said Bonanno. "It is the largest recruiting class we've ever had and has the most depth of any class that we have brought in to Fordham. More importantly, the class has a great deal of high school and club racing experience with several rowers who served as team captains. We look forward to them providing leadership for the freshman program."
Acito arrives at Fordham after rowing for four years at Bishop Eustace Prep.  As a sophomore in the Varsity Lightweight Eight, her boat won the New Jersey State Championship and the SRAA Nationals Championship Regatta, placed second at both the Cooper Cup and the Philadelphia Cities Championships, and fourth at Stotesbury.  During her junior year Acito placed second individually at Haddon Hammer indoor erg competition in the lightweight category.  She helped her V8+ earn silver at NJ States and gold at the Cooper Cup. Acito was selected to be the team captain for her senior year and finished the year with her boat placing third at NJ States and the Philadelphia Cities Championships.  She received the Coaches Award for Leadership in 2013. Â
Barr has raced in doubles, fours, quads, eights, and is capable of rowing both sides. She rowed in the Head of the Charles her junior and senior years for Norwalk River Rowing's 4+ and she was a member of the 4+ that advanced to the semifinals at the Royal Canadian Henley. During Barr's senior year, she stroked the Varsity 4+ that competed at the USRowing National Youth Championship in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. She served as Norwalk River Rowing's team captain and earned the Most Valuable Player award.
Danaher served as a team captain of the crew at St. John the Baptist High School in West Islip, N.Y., as a junior and senior. She also was a member of the first varsity girls 4+ to make it to scholastic nationals for her high school.
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Furneaux, a Wellesley High School graduate, started coxing in eighth grade at Southfield School, then transitioned to rowing in tenth grade, making the first boat for the NEIRA's. She also played varsity field hockey through tenth grade and was a part of the Southfield swim team through tenth grade as well. Furneaux transferred to Wellesley for her junior year and continued rowing year-round at Community Rowing, Inc. in Brighton where she participated in the sculling/sweep programs. She competed in the Canadian Henley the summer before her senior year, rowing in lightweight 8's and a 4x. After suffering a back injury, Furneaux served as a coxswain for a boy's youth 4+ through the fall and coxed them in the 2012 Head of the Charles Regatta. She is currently training to row in the fall.
Keen is a graduate of Phillips Academy Andover where she coxed the school's girls 8's in the 2010, 2011 and 2012 New England Interscholastic Rowing Association championships. She also coxed CRI girls 8s in the 2011 and 2012 USRowing Club National Championships and the 2011 Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.Â
Mohri, a native of Canada where she attended Humberside Collegiate Institute, was a member of varsity swimming, lacrosse and rowing teams throughout her high school. She finished fourth at CSSRA in the Jr. B Single, fifth at the Ontario Rowing Championships in the U19 Single and sixth at the Canadian Indoor Rowing Championships.
Mulé is a graduate of Herricks High School where she was a cheerleader for four years. She also was active in student government and was a state and regional winner of Nation History Day, a Girl Scout Gold Award Recipient and a recipient of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award. Mulé will be joining Fordham as a coxswain
O'Donnell, a Mount Saint Joseph Academy graduate, won gold with the Lightweight 4+ at the Mercer Lake Sprints in 2012 and took silver with the Lightweight 4+ at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Qualifier in 2012. She also was a member of the second place Lightweight 4+ at the PSRA City Championships in 2012 and the fourth place Lightweight 4+ at the 2012 SRAA Nationals. O'Donnell won the B Final with the fifth best overall time in the Lightweight 4+ at the Youth Nationals in 2012 and was a second place finisher with the Lightweight 8 at the Mid Atlantic Qualifiers in 2013. She also took second with the Lightweight 8 at the 2013 PSRA City Championships and at the 2013 Stotesbury Regatta as well as winning the C Final with the Lightweight 8 with the eighth best overall time at Youth Nationals in 2013.
Ramos is a Long Beach Polytechnic High School graduate where she was a member of the Honor Roll and PACE Program. She rowed for one year then coxed for one year for Long Beach Junior Crew. Ramos coxed for the JV 8+ at Head of the Charles and placed 26th out of 79 entries. She was also the coxswain for the Lightweight 4+ at Southwest Regionals where her crew placed first.
Rizzo a graduate of the Academy of the Holy Angels in Demarest, New Jersey, has been rowing for almost three years and has had winning seasons in both sweeping and sculling boats. She placed first in the women's 4+ race at the Cooper Cup Regatta in Camden, New Jersey, in the spring of 2013.Â
Sanders, a Sequoia High School graduate, consistently improved her erg scores as a high school senior, working towards being able to row at a highly competitive level in college. She competed in the San Diego Crew Classic and at the Southwest Junior Rowing Championships at Lake Natoma. Following her senior year of high school, using her base fitness from rowing, Sanders trained for an Ironman triathlon, becoming the youngest person to complete an Ironman in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on June 23.
Sneider, a graduate of Southfield School, rowed in the school's first and second boat for four years and competed at the NEIRA championship. Aside from crew, she has won three NEPSAC championships for basketball and one NEPSAC championship for soccer. Sneider also competed in the NEPSAC cross-country championships for two years.
Wostrel, a graduate of Stonington High School, rowed varsity all four years in high school, medaling in the second boat her first three years at state championships, and medaling in the first boat at states her senior year. She also served as the varsity girl's captain during her senior year.
Zuccari, a Langley High School graduate, swam competitively for 12 years. She made the varsity swimming team as a freshman due to her strength in the 100m butterfly event. She was selected to be a part of the district's team and later that year went on to earn a varsity letter. As a sophomore, Zuccari joined Langley crew, sitting in the seventh position in both the Lightweight 8 and Junior 8 and went on to compete in the Virginia States Regatta, Stotesbury Cup Regatta in Philadelphia, and SRAA Nationals in Camden, NJ.
