In a recent turn of events, nine women will join the URI women’s rowing team next year. All of these women will be entering as freshmen. Eight of these women are rowers and one is a coxswain.
Jessica Lizzi, associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, has helped Head Coach Shelagh Donohoe recruit many new faces. Hannah Bachert, Catie Castle, Maria Dupnock, Sammie Gorecki, Tessa Lemay, Lauren Thomas, Chloe Watson, Faith Woyat and Coxswain Alison Gorriaran will all be becoming apart of the Varsity rowing team next year. This amount of new recruits moving up directly to Varsity is unprecedented.
The team has had paramount success over the years. URI Women’s Rowing has won six Atlantic-10 titles in the last 13 years and has competed in the NCAA tournament three times, being one of the best 22 teams in the entire nation. Not only this, but URI rowing recently celebrated a great victory for one of their alumni. Senior Allie Reilly has just finished her final year for the women’s rowing team. She won silver for Team USA in the World Rowing Championship, which occurred this summer in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Perhaps a similar great destiny is in store for any one of these nine talented incoming freshmen.
Shelagh Donohoe, head coach of the varsity women’s rowing team, has had positive and enthusiastic things to say about all the players. On Hannah Bachert, an incoming freshman from Niskayuna, NY, she has claimed Hannah’s “potential is unlimited” and that she is, “obviously driven to be a successful Division I rower.”
On Maria Dupnock from Berwyn, Pennsylvania, Coach Donohoe stated that “Maria is a natural leader. She is an outstanding communicator and I am confident she will be a strong leader on our team as well.”
On Faith Wyatt from Avon Lake, Ohio, Coach stated that “Faith is a fantastic athlete with an even better personality.” She has had several other positive comments on all of the new recruits.