Red-Black Week Kicks Off 2015 for Louisville Rowing
January 22, 2015 | Rowing
The winning Black team celebrates the victory inside Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville rowing program resumed its preparations for the 2015 season with the annual Red-Black Week sports performance competition on Jan. 12-17.
Competing in an array of physically and mentally demanding events, the Black team scored 1,945 points to earn the win over the Red squad's 1,132 points. The Black team featured Rebecca Busk, Tiffany Chea, Madeleine Chesney, McKenzie Clifford, Nicole DiTommaso, Lucrezia Fossi, Maleena Hackbarth, Kirsti Harrison, Callie McGowan, Katie Miller, Jami Montesano, Kylie Noltemeyer, Annie Pape, Kylen Pattermann, Chiara Ponko, Marissa Thalen, Abbie Wade, Amanda Zalno and Allison Zimmermann. The Red team included Karina Baldwin, Gabi Biedenharn, Lauren DiTommaso, Cynthia Doyle, Erin Enk, Ashleigh Hodge, Darya Marchanka, Katie Nord, Sarah Podwojski, Caitlin Ponko, Meredith Price, Hanna Spittel, Sophie St. Martin, Maddy Staubitz, Josie Stoner, Elise Valantine, Mary Waldman, Kelsey Webb and Rebecca Yaklic.
"The Red-Black competition is an excellent way to kick off the spring semester of training. This competition forces each athlete out of their comfort zone and demands that each team work together through obstacles that they have never seen before," said sports performance coach Dan Gorman. "I can't imagine a spring without the Red-Black competition. It has become a great tradition that will last a long time."
The event started with individual day as the rowers were tested in four areas - vertical jump (won by Ashleigh Hodge), long jump (won by Hanna Spittel), pull-up hang (won by Cynthia Doyle) and six-mile bike (won by Erin Enk). Day two featured the track meet with a pair of 400-meter sprints (won by Katie Miller) as well as the team tire flip won by the Black team, while day three was the team race to Papa John's. The fourth and final day featured the medley with Doyle taking that event title as well as the team tug-of-war won by the Black team.
The Cardinals are scheduled to open the spring racing slate on March 14-15 with the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational at Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Fans can follow Louisville rowing on Twitter (@UofLRowing) at http://twitter.com/UofLRowing.
