PHILADELPHIA, PA. -- The Fairfield University rowing teams opened the competitive part of their seasons with a solid effort at the Murphy Cup, highlighted by the men's lightweight 4 garnering gold. The women's team placed four entries in the Murphy Cup, while the men competed in three events.

In the lightweight 4, the Stags crossed the finish line with a time of 6:47.97, more than six seconds better than runner-up Stetson University. Fairfield also knocked off Lafayette 1 & B, Susquehanna, and Carnegie Mellon in the event. The Stags also won its qualifying heat with a time of 7:05.37. The lightweight team included Dave Brems, Kyle Halloran, Ben Andrews, Steve Ligouri, and coxswain Amanda Klecker.

The men's heavyweight 4 also performed well in the season debut, taking the bronze medal with a time of 7:02.55, just three seconds off the silver medal and eight-plus seconds off the gold. The Stags qualified for the final after they won their heat with a time of 7:00.94, two seconds better than conference rival Loyola College, Md. The heavyweight shell included James Jessup, Jared Strauss, Scott Grady, Alex Papa, and coxswain Matt Greinger.

The women's varsity four also turned in a strong performance by taking second in its respective heat, finishing the heat in 7:54.59. Despite the second-place finish, the Stags were not able to qualify for the final. The varsity 4 included Lindsay Ryan, Sam Rosen, Christina DiCioccio, Alysse Merullo, and coxswain Susan Clancy.

The women's pair of Mary Crowley and Becca Bowes captured first place in their respective heat with a time of 8:51.13, more than two seconds better than runner-up Merchant Marine Academy. The pair advanced to the final, but just missed the bronze medal by four-tenths of a second.

Both rowing teams entered the novice eight race, while the women added an entry to the varsity eight. None of the three teams advanced beyond their respective heat. the women's novice eight included Katie Hanson, Mary Catherine Taylor, Margaret Miller, Brianna Kouri, Lorna Baggott, Alex Doomany, Daria Anuszkiewicz, Caitlin Ligouri, and coxswain Kate Halloran.

The women's varsity eight was comprised by Becca Bowes, Mary Crowley, Lindsay Ryan, Alyese Merullo, Lauren Lipyanka, Karisten Strong, Christina DiCioccio, Sam Rosen, and coxswain Susan Clancy. The men's novice eight consisted of Greg Behrens, Matt McDonagh, Chris Melcher, John O'Hara, Ben Andrews, John Tiene, Ray Lynch, Jorge Espino, and coxswain Michelle Mistretta.