For Immediate Release
Ed Levin
Director of Publicity
Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta
610-246-5902
levins51@verizon.net
Philadelphia, PA – For nearly nine months the schools participating in the Dad Vail Regatta count down the days as they prepare to win a coveted Dad Vail Regatta medal.
Heading into the 79th Dad Vail Regatta, presented by Independence Blue Cross and The Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University most of the local schools had high hopes of leaving a lasting legacy at their respective institutions. Rowers from Drexel University, St. Joseph’s University and the University of Delaware did just that in front of spirited crowds despite the heavy rain that fell during the course of the racing schedule on Saturday morning.
With unfavorable conditions predicted for Saturday morning, the Dad Vail Organizing Committee re-arranged the schedule in order to maintain their promise that each school have the opportunity to row at least two races while also figuring a way to complete all of the Grand and Petite finals.
As the rain fell on rowers and spectators the Dragons began the day on fire winning the two premier events. The women got things started in historic fashion. For the first time in school history, the women captured the Varsity Heavyweight Eight title just a couple of weeks after dedicating their shell to Cara Fry, the wife of school president Dr. John Fry.
The men continued Drexel’s hot start by winning their first Varsity Heavyweight title since 2013 just weeks after they dedicated their shell to Lois Krall. Additionally, the Dragons captured three more gold medals; a silver medal and a bronze that played a big role in helping the women capture the Jack & Nancy Seitz Trophy (Women’s Point Trophy) for the first time in school history and a fifth consecutive Jack Bratton Trophy (Overall Points).
The University Delaware men’s program also enjoyed a banner day winning the Thomas Kerr Trophy (Men’s Point Trophy) highlighted by victories in the men’s lightweight eight and the men’s lightweight four while also winning the women’s junior varsity four.
Rounding out the fine performances by the local schools at the Dad Vail Regatta, also presented by Coca-Cola and PECO was St. Joseph’s University. The men’s junior varsity eight and men’s third varsity eight won the first gold medals on the men’s side since 2010 while the women’s freshman/novice eight won the Hawks first gold medal since 2011 on the women’s side. The Hawks finished second in the women’s point standings and third in the men’s standings.
About Independence Blue Cross
Independence Blue Cross is the leading health insurance organization in southeastern Pennsylvania. With our affiliates, we serve more than 8.5 million people in 25 states and the District of Columbia, including more than 2.5 million in the region. For almost 80 years, we have been enhancing the health and wellness of the people and communities we serve by delivering innovative and competitively priced health care products and services; pioneering new ways to reward doctors, hospitals, and other health care professionals for coordinated, quality care; and supporting events that promote wellness. To learn more visit www.ibx.com. Connect with us on Facebook at ibx.com/facebook and on Twitter at @ibx. Independence Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
About – Jefferson
Jefferson, through its academic and clinical entities of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health, including Abington Health and Aria Health, is reimagining health care for the greater Philadelphia region and southern New Jersey. Jefferson has 23,000 people dedicated to providing the highest-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients, educating the health professionals of tomorrow, and discovering new treatments and therapies to define the future of care. With a university and hospital that date back to 1824, today Jefferson is comprised of six colleges, nine hospitals, 34 outpatient and urgent care locations, and a multitude of physician practices throughout the region, serving more than 100,000 inpatients, 373,000 emergency patients and 2.2 million outpatients annually.
