April 7, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC - The 22nd-ranked Temple Men's Varsity 8 had a rough Saturday against stiff competition on the Potomac River at the George Washington Invitational. After defeating Gonzaga and Virginia on Friday, the Owls top crew finished third each of the final two stages of the regatta.

Stroked by walk-on freshman Pat Curran, Temple's Varsity 8 "caught a crab" in stage two, forcing the crew to a dead stop. The Owls, who led early against #16 Cornell and #20 George Washington, were unable to recover from the mishap that occurred 100 meters into the race that was held under rough waters and high winds.

The Owls Varsity 8 lost the third stage, falling to #17 Georgetown and Virginia. Besides Curran, the Owls' crew included Robert Protesto (7), Dante Cammarata (6), James Harding (5), Peter Gostling (4), Nick Vlahos (3), Thomas Haubrich (2), Don Powers (bow) and Rory Roberts (coxswain).

The Men's Second Varsity 8, comprised of Thomas Goldner (coxswain), Sam Cunningham (stroke), Timothy Malloy (7), Bill Gennaro (6), Matt Hanlin (5), Brendan Uhll (4), Joseph Welsh (3), Chris Bushek (2), and Chris Schwartz (bow), finished second to Georgetown in its race.

The Owls Varsity 4, comprised of Michael Berger (coxswain), Cyrus Haines (stroke), Eric Alexander (3), James Beebe (2) and Richard Moore (bow), won its race easily over Michigan.

Temple faces Cornell and George Washington in next round of action Saturday morning.