March 9, 2007

FAIRFIELD, Conn. - While the recent sub-zero wind chills and a cold start to the month of March may not have provided ideal conditions, Head Coach Andre Albert and his women's rowing team are not discouraged by any means. If anything, the New England weather will make the squad even more appreciative of its annual trek to Florida for spring break.

The Stags will train briefly in the Sunshine State before moving into their first competition of the spring season. It's this time of year that Coach Albert looks toward to find out how his team will fare against competition in more ideal conditions.

"The Florida trip helps us gain a proper perspective of where the team is now, and where it needs to go to be ready for the rigors of our spring schedule," Albert said. "We have the talent and the ability to compete. Now, we just need to bring all those factors together on the water on a consistent basis, something the Florida trip allows us to do."

Fairfield enjoyed a solid Fall season that saw the team capture the Dowling Cup championship in its final outing of the campaign. The team's performance in those events was the perfect culmination of a Fall season that allowed a rather young roster to become acclimated to the sport, especially at the collegiate level.

The novice shells performed well in the Fall, highlighted strong performances in the month of November. The novices took third place at the Frostbite Regatta in their last Fall-season outing, as well as a first-place finish in the novice 8 race at the Dowling Cup. The varsity boats also held their own in the November events, which included a second-place finish for the varsity 8 at the Dowling Cup.

The spring schedule will include the usual stops for the Stags, none of which are particularly easy. After returning from Florida, the team will move right into competition by participating at the Murphy Cup races in Philadelphia on March 24. The weekend of April 7 is open, but the team will come back a week later for the Knecht Cup, a meet at which the Stags traditionally performed well.

One week later, the season comes up one of its highlight points with the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championships in Princeton, N.J. on April 22. The regular season comes to an end on May 11-12 with a trip to Dad Vails in Philadelphia, an event where the Stags will row against the region's and nation's elite.

"Our spring schedule offers us a challenge each week," Albert said. "But, with our training and the dedication of our student athletes, I believe that we will be ready to accept and handle all of those challenges."

Those challenges cannot be anywhere near as difficult of rowing into the sub-zero winds that early March brought just last week.