Holy Cross Men's Rowing Heads Into 2009-2010 Season
2009-2010 Holy Cross Rowing Yearbook
By James Greene
Special to GoHolyCross.com
The Holy Cross men's rowing team continues
preparing for the 2009-2010 season. Thanks to the leadership of
second-year head coach Todd Pearson and two senior
co-captains, the team is prepared to participate in four meets over
four weekends this fall before retreating to the rowing tanks at
the Hart Center for winter training.
Pearson has tabbed seniors D.J. Estes and
Dan McGlinn as this year's captains. Estes joined
the team as a freshman walk-on, having been a three-sport athlete
at Falmouth (Mass.) H.S. He was a member of the first Holy Cross
freshmen eight to row at the Eastern Sprints, finishing 14th in
2007. He spent his sophomore year as a member of the second varsity
eight, then split time between the varsity eight and second varsity
eight last year as a junior. McGlinn was a member of the same
freshmen boat as Estes in 2006-2007. As a sophomore, he rowed with
the men's varsity eight that finished 15th at the Eastern Sprints
and competed at the IRA National Regatta. He also competed with the
varsity eight last season.
"It was quite an honor to be named captain, especially as I
started rowing as a novice here at Holy Cross," Estes said. "I'm
really looking forward to the opportunity to push the team to its
limits and doing whatever it takes to get everyone focused on
winning races."
Pearson already knows what he wants out of his leaders. "First and
foremost, I'm hoping they lead by example," he said of his
captains. "We hope they set the tone in terms of their work ethic
and their approach to practice and racing, particularly for the
freshmen, but for the sophomores and the whole team as well."
The team also boasts an emerging young nucleus. Sophomores
Tom Gallant and Peter Dwyer both
participated in the 2009 U.S. National Team Freshman Camp during
the summer. Dwyer was involved in the camp's sessions at the
Pennsylvania Athletic Club in Philadelphia, Pa., while Gallant
headed west to the California Rowing Club in Oakland, Calif. Both
rowed as members of the freshmen eight last season. Their boat
finished 18th at the Eastern Sprints and 18th at the Green Monster
Regatta. They also boasted a six-second win over Bucknell during
the regular season.
The 2009 fall schedule begins with Holy Cross hosting the Snake
Regatta on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester (Oct. 10), followed by
the 45th Head of the Charles Regatta on the Charles River in Boston
(Oct. 17-18). "The Head of the Charles is the centerpiece of every
rowing team's fall schedule because it's the biggest rowing regatta
in the world," Pearson said. "We're excited to row whatever boats
we can for that. It's always a great test of our speed early in the
year relative to other top programs in the country and
internationally."
The fall slate continues at the Princeton Chase in Princeton, N.J.
(Oct. 25), before concluding at the Green Monster Regatta in
Hanover, N.H. (Nov. 7). The spring schedule will be announced at a
later date.
"I have extremely high expectations for this year's team," Estes
said. "I know all the guys have been waiting all summer to get back
into racing."
