Drexel’s ascent among the collegiate rowing community continued this season with a successful defense of its Dad Vail team championship on Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River in May.
“Everybody had a part in scoring points for the team,” says Director of Rowing Paul Savell. “This was a complete team effort, it’s something they’ve worked hard at all year and it’s great to see them come through with a hard-earned victory.”
Drexel’s 41 team points bested its next closest competitors Bucknell (37) and Massachusetts (32) by a margin that equated to one medal. The men tallied 23 points, finishing just one behind Delaware for third place. On the women’s side, Drexel accrued 18 points to land in the third spot as well.
The men’s second varsity eight boat took home the team’s lone gold medal, by pulling the course in just over six minutes and 38 seconds — three seconds better than Michigan and seven ahead of Temple University in the next closest boats.
The women’s varsity eight final came down to a sprint to the finish — Drexel held off a late charge from Grand Valley to take the silver by less than a second and earn points that were crucial for the overall team victory. This marked the best finish for a Drexel women’s varsity eight boat at the Dad Vail.