Cardinal Rowing Signs Two Standouts for 2006-07
June 16, 2006 | Rowing
June 16, 2006
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville rowing head coach Richard Ruggieri has announced the signing of Ontario, Canada natives Kate Rickers and Kelly Traynor to national letters-of-intent for the Cards' 2006-07 season.
Rickers, a native of St. Catharines, Ont., and a 2006 graduate of Ridley College, joins the Cardinal program with three years of rowing experience with the St. Catharines Rowing Club, the Ridley Boat Club and Ridley College. Under the guidance of coach Mike Thompson at St. Catharines, Rickers earned gold medals in the youth eights and youth fours events at the 2005 Head of the Ohio in Pittsburgh, Pa., a gold medal in the women's U17 Double at the 2004 Ontario Summer Games, and a third-place finish in the junior "B" women's quads at the 2004 Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.
"Kate is a great addition and someone who will help the varsity immediately," said U of L head coach Richard Ruggieri. "Her success on the water is equaled by her maturity as a student and teammate. We look forward to Kate joining our squad, enhancing our team depth and building even more success."
While competing for the Canadian Junior National Development Team in 2005 under the direction of coordinator John Ruscitti and coach Jane LaRiviere, Rickers won silver in the eights event and bronze in the doubles event at the CanAmMex Camp in Oak Ridge, Tenn. As a prep rower at Ridley College, where she won the science award, was a scuba diver and was a contributing writer to the school newspaper, she won gold in the senior quads at both the 2006 and 2005 Canadian High School Rowing Championships, and silver in the junior 4+ race in 2004. Prior to arriving at U of L, she also competed for coaches Nancy Storrs and Jack Nicholson with the Ridley Grad Boat Club in the summer of 2005.
Traynor, a native of Hamilton, Ont., and a 2006 graduate of Westdale Secondary School, joins U of L with four years of rowing experience at Westdale and with the Leander Boat Club. While competing for Westdale, Traynor finished fourth in the junior women's "A" singles race at the 2006 Canadian High School Rowing Championships, third in the junior heavyweight women's double at the 2005 Canadian High School Championships, and was named Westdale Female Rower of the Year in 2005-06 and 2003-04. Away from the water at Westdale, Traynor also competed in basketball and volleyball for four years and was president of the athletic council in 2005 and 2006.
"Kelly is someone we recruited to help our team immediately," Ruggieri said. "She has a personality and work-ethic that will fit in well at the varsity level. With a successful rowing career in small boats, we look forward to Kelly reaching another level in a larger team environment."
While competing for the Leander Boat Club, Traynor, whose sister attends and rows at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, finished first in the junior "A" women's heavy single at the 2005 RowOntario Championships and third in the junior "A" women's heavy double at 2005 the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, where she teamed with current Cardinal rower Laura Cers. During the 2004 indoor season, Traynor finished first in the junior heavyweight event at the Ontario Indoor Rowing Championships, while during the 2004 outdoor season she was first in the high school women's doubles at the Head of the Ohio, first in the junior "A" women's heavy quads at the Ontario Summer Games, second in the junior "B" women's heavy singles at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, and was named 2004 Leander Boat Club Rookie of the Year.
The Cardinals, which closed the 2006 season ranked 20th in the final USRowing/CRCA Division I Varsity Eight Coaches Poll of the season released on May 17, had five athletes earn CRCA All-Region honors and three athletes earn CRCA National Scholar Athlete awards in 2006.
"Kate and Kelly will join nine other Canadians on our team this fall, and the success we've had has been directly related to combining a dedicated walk-on program with a large contingent of Canadian athletes," said Ruggieri. "The ability to recruit these athletes is paramount. In addition, a love of the sport and a commitment to row year-round at their local Canadian clubs has taken us to another level. We look forward to the largest varsity squad ever assembled at Louisville and one which will work hard to honor the previous rowers who have built U of L into a Top 20 team."
Players Mentioned
