Category Archives: Women’s rowing

Rowers take to the weight room for summer months

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Rebecca Grzybowski is in Tennessee right now, but she is not on summer vacation.

Entering her third year as Temple women’s rowing coach, Grzybowski is coaching a summer program which features an under-23 light-weight women’s team from Vesper’s boat club on boathouse row at the U.S Rowing Club Nationals in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

But she is not the only one rowing out of boathouse row this summer, as Grzybowski said there are a few members on the rowing team rowing for clubs in the summer months.

While NCAA rules prevent the team to collectively practice during the summer period, between 10 to 15 women are voluntarily calling the ergometer room home before training resumes in September. Grzybowski said some novices, juniors and seniors, who have stayed back in Philadelphia, are working out in the weight room.

“Moira Meekes said she’s been here for three summers and said this is definitely the best summer she can ever remember in terms of people working hard, staying in shape over the summer and using the erg room,” Grzybowski said.

Grzybowski hopes the athletes staying home during the summer break are working out, as well.

As the summer holiday drifts away, Grzybowski said the team will meet during the first week of classes but will get back to its typical in-season routine around mid-September.

Rowing relocates tent

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The women’s rowing team has temporarily moved its tent to the opposite side of St. Joseph’s boathouse until the East Park Canoe House is renovated.

Before the move, the women’s team was sharing tent space with the men’s crew team. Now with their own tent, coach Rebecca Grzybowski said having the tent closer to the river is more convenient for the team, instead of trotting across the St Joe’s boathouse parking lot to get their boats to the bank of the river.

The Owls look to move into their permanent home within the year.

Rowing team headed south

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The women’s rowing team will head to Florida on Thursday to begin its training in preparation for its final season at Temple University.

For the first time since the semester ended, the team of 60 will look to regain its mental focus on rowing.

“We are hoping to log some miles,” coach Rebecca Smith-Grzybowski said. “Just to get on the water. It will be a change of scenery, change of pace and getting the team back together. It’s just going to be a really good time to get away. No one has school to worry about, we just get to be together and train hard and start to set some goals for the upcoming season and row as much as we possibly can.”

The team will spend just about 10 days in Florida and return to Philadelphia on January 18th.

Pair of athletes receive regional honors

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Paige O’Sullivan

Although her four-year stint with the women’s rowing team is now complete, newly graduated Paige O’Sullivan continues to be recognized as an outstanding student-athlete. Temple announced yesterday that O’Sullivan was named to the second team all-Mid-Atlantic Region by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association, just a few weeks after the Somers Point, N.J. native was awarded first team A-10 All-Conference.

O’Sullivan, who recently received her bachelor’s degree in Therapeutic Recreation, was also the winner of the 2013 John Noisette Award—One that is presented to a Temple student each year for leadership and innovation in the therapeutic recreation field.

Additionally, last month, O’Sullivan was honored with the Temple Teammates Community Service Award for the second straight year at the university’s Breakfast of Champions.

Brandon Matthews

Freshman Brandon Matthews has been named as one of the 25 golfers selected by the Golf Coaches Association of America to be a part of the NCAA Division I PING all-Northeast Region team.

In what turned out to be a stellar rookie season with Temple, Matthews’ 72.27 stroke average was the lowest among all Atlantic 10 Conference golfers. He placed second at the A-10 Championship, earning All-Conference honors in addition to being recognized as A-10 Rookie of the Year.

 

Women’s rowing readies for final meet

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The women’s rowing team will be competing for the last time in 2012 Saturday in the Head of Schuylkill Regatta. The Owls will be racing in three events.

The regatta will be the first time the team has competed together since Oct. 13, 2012. Last weekend, one boat traveled to Boston for the Head of the Charles Regatta. The boat placed seventh out of 46 and qualifying for next year’s Head of the Charles Regatta.

The rest of the Owls stayed in Philadelphia to participate in the Philadelphia Children’s Foundation 2.25 Regatta. With some upperclassmen in Boston, the other Owls placed second and fourth behind La Salle whose boats placed first and third.

With the entire team together Saturday, new coach Rebecca Smith Grzybowski expects the Owls to have a true race mentality.

The first event, the women’s open fours with coxswain final, will begin at 9:40 a.m. The Owls will have two boats in this race.

Next, the event will be the women’s open club eights final beginning at 11:40 a.m. The Owls will have two boats in this race.

The Owls will wrap up the Regatta and the season with the women’s open heavy championship eights final which will start at 2:40 p.m. The Owls will again race two boats.

-Liam McKenna

Women’s rowing gets boat in Head of Charles Regatta

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The women’s rowing team will split itself between Boston and Philadelphia on Saturday. A single boat will be competing in the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, while the rest of the team will be racing to benefit the Philadelphia Children’s Foundation

According to new coach Rebecca Smith Grzybowski, the Head of Charles Regatta is one of the world’s premier rowing events, featuring thousands of competitors.

“Getting an entry into the Regatta is very competitive,” Grybowski said. “This year we managed to get an entry.”

The Owls will be entering a Club Four event which will run Saturday afternoon.

The lineup in Boston will include sophomore coxswain-Ellie Oken, senior stroke seat-Paige O’Sullivan, senior third seat Claudia Loeber, senior second seat Joanna Sutor, and junior bow Kara Carson.

As for the rest of the Owls, they will be participating in the Philadelphia Children’s Foundation 2.25 Regatta.  Proceeds will benefit the education of Philadelphia youth.

-Liam McKenna

Women’s rowing season begins at Navy Day Regatta

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The Temple women’s rowing team will begin its fall 2012 season this Saturday at the Navy Day Regatta along the Schuylkill River.

The Regatta is set up as a head race where competitors will each begin at 15-second intervals. As new coach Rebecca Smith Grzybowski said, the goal is to catch up the boat ahead of the team while not allowing the boats behind them to catch up.

Grzybowski has had her team focus on technique, specifically core strength, leading into the season, she said.

Being the season’s start, Grzybowski plans on using the regatta to work with different lineups. In doing so, Grzybowski will have each girl run two races during the regatta.

Temple’s first race will the 4+ final at 9:50 a.m., while the final race will be the 8+ final at 1:37p.m.

-Liam McKenna

Women’s rowing coach resigns

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Jason Read, an Olympic gold medalist, has resigned from his position as head coach of the women’s rowing team.

Read will be replaced by former assistant coach Rebecca Smith Grzybowski, who has been with the team for one year.

Read, a gold medalist from the 2004 Athens games, resigned to pursue other professional opportunities.

Grzybowski helped oversee a Temple rowing team that placed third at the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships last year. Fall physicals for the women’s rowers begin next Wednesday, Sept. 5.