FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- After a slight delay to the start of the 2010 fall rowing season, the Fairfield University squad was able to get on the water as part of the Head of the Housatonic. The teams were scheduled to open last weekend at the Head of the Riverfront in Hartford, but river conditions prohibited any racing.

The women's varsity four placed two entries into the Head of the Housatonic with the A boat taking ninth place and the B boat taking 15th. The varsity A included Bridget Butterworth, Katie Sillo, Kim Beatty, Jessica Keefe, and coxswain Julia Merenda. The crew performed well against some of its regular competitors, defeating Sacred Heart and Marist by more than 10 seconds.  The varsity B included Genevieve Bleidner, Maria Manis, Margaret McGohey, Meghan Sullivan, and coxswain Michelle DeJoseph.

The men's varsity four secured the eighth spot in its race, just being edged for sixth and seventh by UConn and Fordham by a few seconds. Ben Andrews, Matt McNeill, Brendan Spearing, Phillip Falco, and Carolyn Kosewski comprised the boat for the Stags. 

"This boat is very young and inexperienced right now, especially with Carolyn coxing her first race, Matt competing in a head race for the first time, and Brendan and Phillip competing in the college sphere for the first time," Head Coach Dave Patterson said. "With a committed year of training, these guys have every chance of doing well when it matters the most at the MAAC Championships, Knecht Cup, and Dad Vail Regatta in the spring."

The women's novice eight crossed the line in fourth place during their respective race. The success was a result of the efforts from Rebecca Ponessa, Logan Thorpe, Avery Adams, Sam Matte, Emily Bower, Lorena Gullotta, Rachel Lang, Elizabeth Kavanagh, and coxswain Alison Bishop.

"This was the first opportunity at competition for this group of athletes," Patterson said. "I am absolutely sure that they are well ahead of schedule compared to this time last year, and with their continued effort to master the art and craft of rowing, this squad is capable of great things."

The men's novice eight  took home a sixth place finish, as Jerry Vissers, Phillip Falco, Marco Raffaelli, Salvatore Caiola, Brendan Spearing, Eddy Weiner, Jim Fusco, Colin Gaibato, and coxswain Pete Lyons put together a solid effort in their first time out. 

"Like the women's novice eight, I am excited to see how much development we can get from this squad which will obviously be on a steep learning curve. It is very evident that we are much further ahead of where our novice eight was a year ago at this time."

The teams return to action on October 23 when they head to the Boston area for the Head of the Charles.