April 9, 2005

Wilmington, CA: The Trojan Navy faced off against the Lions of Loyola Marymount University in the Port of Los Angeles on Saturday, winning two of the three 2000m races. Following the races the crews enjoyed a BBQ lunch with Rowing’s Women of Troy.

The morning opened with USC overcoming adversity to win the men’s varsity eight race. Adam Fish, the compact stroke of the varsity crew was experiencing sever back pain during the week and was ruled medically unfit to race by head coach Gene Kininmonth.

With Fish out for the weekend’s racing action, Alan Thesenvitz was tasked with the responsibility to stroke the crew and in a strong vote of confidence, Kininmonth promoted Zach Franklin, a powerful sophomore from Philadelphia, PA into the varsity line-up.

The Trojans surged to a powerful lead in the first 500m and then saw clear water between their shell and the bow of the Lions by the halfway point of the race. The Trojans appeared to find their rhythm in the final stretch as they extended their victory to four boat-lengths by the finish flag.

Varsity Eight:
USC 6:18
LMU 6:32

Following the race the Lions pulled their shell alongside the USC and handed the Trojans the shirts off their backs in a classy move reminiscent of traditional Ivy League days of the past. “That is the way it should be done,” said Coach Kininmonth. “We appreciate LMU’s good form and we will do the same when in defeat in the future as well. The Lions have returned one of Rowing’s great traditions to Southern California.”

In the next race the Lions exacted revenge against the Trojan’s JV Crew, defeating USC by a similar margin to the earlier varsity race.

JV Eight:
LMU 6:31
USC 6:45

The closest race of the day proved to be the Novice Fours race. Both crews started quickly with LMU striking 37 strokes per minute for the first 500m. The two crews were even after 800m when Lee McAuliffe lengthened out his stroke and steadied his crew’s cadence down to 30 strokes per minute. “That was when we started just moving away from LMU,” said 3-seat Ryan Steers, who is also a regular member of the varsity eight line-up.

“Lee just sets up a really nice rhythm and it is so easy to follow him,” added 2-seat John Brown. “I think we have a lot more speed to find but that was a terrific race for us and I was proud to be a part of this crew.”

Following the race the crew threw their coxswain Melissa Mansfield into the Port from the top of the twenty foot jetty.

Novice Four:
USC 7:01
LMU 7:05

Next up for the Trojan Navy is the Newport Invitational Regatta to be hosted by Orange Coast College on April 16 in Newport Beach. Some of the teams competing will be UC San Diego, UCLA, OCC, LMU, UC Irvine, USD, UC Santa Barbara and Santa Clara. .