Hoyas Dedicate Shell, End Terrific Season in England
The members of the Hoya Lightweight Varsity ended their eleven-day trip
to Henley this past Monday. Emotions ran high as the team said goodbye
to seniors Andrew Lechleiter and Geoff Mikelsons before the crew scattered
to the corners of the earth for the summer. Freshman three-seat Mike McGrath
headed for the family home in his native Ireland, bow-man Blair Berbert
decided he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to follow the Tour in
France, multi-lingual coxswain Louisa Seferis was off to Athens to organize
the Olympic rowing events, and four-seat Kyler Willett was on his way
to Australia for a semester abroad. Rising seniors James O’Gara,
Cameron Booth and Brad Kuntscher headed to DC and another productive summer
of sculling on the Potomac.
This past Saturday, the crew, their parents and several of the alumni who attended the regatta gathered to dedicate a shell in honor of Yunho Song (F ’86). Yunho, a London resident and longtime supporter of the program had hosted the crew earlier in the week, treating them to one of the finest meals they’d ever eaten. Yunho’s twin three-year-olds had a chance to sit in the shell, a Vespoli M2 that has already carried one IRA medalling crew, as Yunho and fellow alum J.J. Forster christened the bow.
The crew left Henley-on-Thames with mixed emotions regarding their experience—watching Sunday’s finals from the grandstands was not enjoyable for this hyper-competitive crew, but the guys took some solace in knowing that they had fought well and had proudly represented Georgetown on the biggest stage in collegiate rowing. The final of the Temple Cup saw Proteus-Eretes—the crew that had beaten both the Hoyas and the Navy lights earlier in the week—lose to another Dutch crew, Neureus.
The Henley trip capped off one of the finest seasons ever by a Hoya Lightweight Varsity. The graduating seniors leave the program as the most highly decorated class in Georgetown history with two IRA medals and a Sprints medal to their credit. The prospects for next year look just as bright with the addition of a group of motivated sophomores into the mix and the further maturing of the upperclassmen. It’s an exciting time to be a part of Georgetown Lightweight Rowing.
On a personal note I’d like to thank all the alums and friends of the program that made this trip and this season possible. Your generous contributions, advice and support throughout the year have been a true asset to the crew and have been instrumental in our ongoing efforts to bring a national championship to Georgetown. I can’t thank you all enough for making Georgetown lightweight rowing possible.
Coach Andy Belden
