PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- James Jessup and Ben Andrews became the second men's pair in Fairfield University rowing history to earn a medal at the prestigious Dad Vail Regatta, taking third place in the event.

The last Fairfield tandem to earn a medal included Chris Duffy '93, who went on to row for the United States national team. Ironically, Jessup and Andrew secured their bronze medal in a shell which was named for Duffy this past Fall. Jessup and Andrews had won every pairs event in which they raced this season before their third-place finish last weekend.

"While the crew's undefeated season came to an end at the final hurdle, winning a medal at Vails is special for anyone who has had the honor," Head Coach David Patterson said. "Their medal is just reward for the amount of work and commitment they have shown in their training and is clear evidence to everyone on our growing team that those who are prepared to do the hours and hours of thankless extra work behind the scenes put themselves in position of getting the most reward when it matters, most of all at the end of the season. Working to win always trumps wanting to win in this sport."

The weather conditions on Friday were not conducive for racing so the organizing committee decided to select crews for the semi-finals by making everyone race the same distance in the same lane against the clock in a time trial.

The women's lightweight four of Alysse Merullo, Mary Catherine Taylor, Jessica Curley, Sam Rosen, and coxswain Kaitlin Dinius put in one of the best performances by a varsity crew in some time, taking seventh place in the time trials just 0.072 seconds off the final qualifying spot.

The women's varsity open weight four of Christina DiCioccio, Jessica Keefe, Lindsay Ryan, Mary Crowley, and coxswain Susan Clancy placed 12th in their time trail and advanced to the semi-final. In the semis, the crew placed fourth behind Tulsa, Cal-Irvine, and Robert Morris, but ahead of Lafayette and Georgia Tech. Only the top two from the semi-final advanced to the final.

"In an event in which the team has struggled to make any headway out of the first day heats for some time, this is another positive step in the right direction for women's rowing at Fairfield," said Patterson.

The women's novice eight consisted of Amelia Mazzola, Alexa Hoehne, Krissi Gorsuch, Kim Keating, Jessica Keefe, Katie Sillo, Bridgette Sliva, Meghan Sullivan, and coxswain Mia Pallari did not advance to the semi-finals. Original crew member Liz Connors did not compete, giving Keefe the opportunity to fill the seat.

"The racing crew had to be restructured and never got a practice in all week," Patterson said. "Despite all the disadvantages, they went out on the course and still performed admirably by finishing 24th of 32 crews entered."

The women's novice four was comprised of Christine Beggan, Kelly Waldron, Caitlin O'Sullivan, Michelle Cote, and coxswain Jen Sheils placed 37th out of 52 crews.

"The crew had a dedicated two weeks together in the boat with no disruptions and picked up some speed," Patterson said. "In the time trial format, the crew was not able to experience racing side-by-side against crews but ended their season with their most positive row."