It's been an incredibly busy month since our last email update, with the frantic spring racing season in full swing and the team traveling to race at a regatta or host an event most every weekend in the last two months.
The team traveled down to sunny Oak Ridge, TN to race at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships (SIRAs) four weeks ago, winning the overall points trophy and women's team points trophy once again. SIRAs saw a bevy of medals brought home by Purdue's hard-charging squad, with the Women's Novice 8+ earning gold and lots of betting shirts, the Men's 2nd Varsity 8+, Men's Novice 8+, and Men's 2nd Novice 8+ all earning silver, and the Men's Novice Lightweight 4+ earning bronze. Full results for the regatta are available here and a video stream of the racing is available here.
Then three weeks ago Purdue Crew made its triumphant return for the first time in many, many years to the Mid-America Collegiate Rowing Association Championships (MACRAs), which Purdue helped found way back in 1965. The regatta was hosted this year in Indianapolis, making for an easy trip for the team and many friends and family. While the teams racing at MACRAs were very different than the teams we faced at SIRAs, and the weather wasn't quite as friendly- with a raging torrent of wind, rain, and hail crashing down during the Men's Varsity 8+ grand final, the team performed well and Purdue brought home the team points trophy, winning gold medals in the Men's 2nd Novice 8+ and Women's 2nd Varsity 8+, silver medals in the Men's Novice 8+, Women's Varsity 8+, and Men's 2nd Varsity 8+, and bronze medals in the Men's Varsity 8+, Men's 3rd Varsity 8+, and Women's Novice 8+. Full results of racing are available here.
Then just over a week ago the team got together for our annual banquet to recap the past year and celebrate the team's accomplishments. The Purdue Crew Parents Club and Purdue Rowing Association awarded seniors with their graduation gifts, coaches presented the framed boat pictures that'll soon be hanging in the boathouse of this year's SIRAs Championships and last year's ACRA Championship medalists. And of course, the team presented our annual award winners of the MVO and Butler awards, listed below:
Kenneth Butler Most Valuable Oarsman: Ben Bialek
Kenneth Butler Most Valuable Oarswoman: Kara Benbow
Hovde Award Winner: Ian Jenkins
Next month the Hovde Award winner and Coach Walker will continue the tradition started almost seventy years ago by Purdue President Fredrick Hovde, when new Purdue University President Chiang will present and congratulate Ian with the Hovde Award. Congratulations Ian, and to all award winners, graduating seniors, and Purdue Crew championship regatta medalists!
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