Rowing finds success at NYS Collegiate Championships

By Ryan Patota, Sports Reporter

Canisius rowing hit the water at the NYS Collegiate Championships in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. this past weekend, qualifying for several petit-final races. 

To begin the day of racing, the varsity eight boat and the second varsity eight shell both finished in third to qualify for the petit-final. Canisius found more success throughout the day as the varsity four finished in second with a time of 8:45.66 to earn an appearance in the grand final.

The varsity eight boat competed in the petit-final entry, where the Griffs placed second with a time of 7:32.69. Senior Addie Naylor, who competes on the varsity eight boat, was impressed with the team’s performance.

“NYS Collegiate Championships gave us a great opportunity to showcase what we have been working on throughout the year. I feel like throughout these races we really worked on our communication with each other, which is key as we all have to be on the same page at all times,” said Naylor. 

The impact of the freshmen throughout the rowing program has been important to the program's success. “Our freshmen class has been outstanding in their effort on our team, and it is really amazing to see them already stepping up as leaders. It is immensely important for freshmen to have a mentor to look up to and learn from,” explained Naylor. 

The second varsity eight group ended up winning the petit-final race later on in the competition with a 7:52.1 result, beating out five programs in the race. The Griffs varsity four finished in sixth in the grand final with a time of 9:46.55 to finish out the competition in Saratoga Springs.

The Griffs will compete in the annual Black Rock Cup at the West Side Rowing Club back home in Buffalo. Canisius will take on Marist with three sets of races on Saturday, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The team will then take on a field of three other programs competing on Sunday, beginning at 10:35 a.m.