With this year’s Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta a mere eight weeks away, the Drexel men’s rowing program has their sights set on raising the bar even higher. Kowing there is a target on their back after winning its third consecutive Varsity Heavyweight Eight championship, Men’s rowing coach Matt Weaver keeps things simple, “We focus on our own daily improvement. We are not chasing externals or looking for the next piece of bulletin board material to find motivation. We are using each other to drive good competition, development and improvement throughout the season.” Senior Andrew Manns added, “I feel like my time at Drexel has flown by. In these four years I have experienced so much and seen so much of what it takes to be a successful team and crew. A big part of my goals for my last year was to leave this team better than I found it. One of the things I think that I really want to make sure I pass down is discipline. Rowing is a very simple sport. If you pull hard, you will go fast, if you go fast, you will win races. I feel like that principal can be applied to many aspects of life, if you do the work, you will get the reward. I always tried to embody this as a rower, attacking every erg or water session with intention and ferocity so that when I get rewarded, I am an example to the younger athletes. I hope they see that above all else, if you dedicate yourself to it and work hard enough at it, you can have it.” As the Dragons prepared for the Grand Finale, they knew defending their title would not be easy with the race featuring neighborhood teams, Temple, Saint Joseph’s University and LaSalle University, whom they edged out for the crown the year before. The race got off to a clean start and around the 500-meter mark, it was LaSalle getting out to the early lead with Drexel just one-seat off the lead. As the race approached the midway mark, it was the Explorers still holding a one-seat lead over Drexel and Temple not far behind, just one-seat off Drexel. Like last year’s race, Drexel took control with 750 meters remaining ramping up their row rate and turned a 1-seat deficit into a 1-boat lead. As they approached the finish line the crowd was at a fever pitch as Drexel crossed the line to win the newly renamed Richard O’Brien/James Hanna Cup and claim its third consecutive Varsity Heavyweight Eight title. “Threepeat means a lot for the continuity of Drexel rowing,” said Wever. “The first two of the threepeat happened when Coach Paul Savell was the men’s head coach. I am happy I could help contribute to it from the coaching side for the third. Really it takes the whole team to accomplish something like that, so the whole team was excited for each other.” “Winning the third straight Dad-Vail gold medal meant a lot me and everyone in that boat,” said Manns. “Being from South Jersey, I grew up rowing on the Cooper and Schuylkill. Much of rowing career has transpiring here on these rivers, so to be forever ingrained in the history of a regatta like the Dad Vail is extra special to me. I am so grateful to the sport of rowing for what it has allowed me to accomplish, I would have never imagined that I would have the opportunity to race with a team like Drexel in a moment like that. That feeling is something I will never forget. It was the culmination of years of hard unseen work from everyone. I am so grateful to have been able to share that moment with this team.” DREXEL MEN’S ROWING CONTINUES TO SET THE BAR HIGHER
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