La Salle University - Explorer Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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AlerTs Crew 5 fc, .? « » ♦ » « „ La Salle ' s Varsity 8, furthest from the camera, runs a distant third in a race on the Schuylkill River. Enjoying Some Success Despite The Odds By Ed Skorpinski Due to the departure of several sen- iors and upperclassmen from the pre- vious season, the 1986-87 Men ' s Crew team entered the fall season in a very tough predicament. While many other schools had teams of thirty rowers or better, La Salle, under the new direc- tion of Coach Dave McGuigan, was forced to work with only twelve to eighteen people. In crew, sheer num- bers can often make the difference between victory and tired oarsmen who must enter every race. Neverthe- less, the Explorers made a surprisingly strong showing against several Ivy League powers, particularly in the Frostbite and Braxton Regattas, with their Novice-4 boat winning both races. In the spring, however, things did not get any easier as the crew team faced the bulk of their racing season. In addi- tion to races against city rivals Temple and Drexel and MAAC opponents Holy Cross and Army, La Salle also partici- pated in the prestigious Dad Vail Re- gatta, the premier race for small col- leges. With their team somewhat swelled in number, the Explorers en- The Novice 4 boat goes out on a practice run. tered four events when they could: the Novice-4, the Novice-8, the Varsity Heavyweight-4 and the Varsity Lightweight-4. By far, crew is the most demanding of all the college sports. Most people don ' t realize that serious crew team members have two workouts a day — rowing from five a.m. to eight a.m. in the morning and a land workout in the afternoon. Many people, in fact, quit the team when it becomes too much for them. For those that remain, how- ever, there is a very strong feeling of comradery that is not experienced in other sports. For La Salle rowers, this is evidenced by the existence of the crew team ' s own little fraternity known as the Buddy Club. Finally, not to be forgotten is the im- portant role that crew alumni play in maintaining a crew program at La Salle. Only through their continued moral and financial support can the crew team function competitively, Roster: Peter Borowski, Paul Brabant, Frank Ca- taldi (Co-Captain), Bill Collins, Paul Connor, Mike Cunning, Jeff DeVuono, Gerald Futi, Joe Hentz, Kurt Marrone, Mick O ' Brien, Thomas Williams, Kevn Byrne, Dave McGuigan, Daraius Unwalla (Asst. Coach), Pete Sigmund (Novice Coach), Liz Doyle (Coxswain), Jim Kelly (Coordinator). 156

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1 Kevin Cartoto pauses to catch the signals. The Naturals By Ed Skorpinski Coming off a disappointing 17-20 re- cord one year earlier, the Baseball team entered the 1987 season cau- tiously predicting one of their best sea- sons in recent years. Losing just two players to graduation, this year ' s team had what long-time Coach Gene Mc- Donnell called the best infield the school has ever seen. Returning was MAAC MVP Barry Petrachenko, who led the league in hitting last year with a .453 average in addition to leading the team in hits (63), runs scored (49), dou- bles (8), and stolen bases (37). Joining second baseman (and Asst. Captain) Petrachenko were shortstop Mark la- covelli, whose fielding was exciting to watch, third basemen Steve O ' Donnell, a hard-nosed player who dove for ev- erything within reach, and pitcher first baseman (Captain) Pat Waninger, who sat out the entire last season with an injury. Other key returning players were (Asst. Captain) Sero Cardamone and Darren Cromwell, probably the most consistent player on the team. There were a couple of reasons for the demise of the previous year ' s team, most notably of which was the injury to Waninger. Already down one pitcher, therefore, injuries to other pitchers during the season affected game outcomes significantly. In addi- tion, two of the infielders were ro okies. Despite La Salle ' s fourth-place finish in the MAAC standings, there were no team members pointing fingers. Another factor contributing to the Explorers ' chances of winning the MAAC is the experience of Coach O ' Donnell. Unlike some other coaches, O ' Donnell does not try to mold players to his own liking, but rather allows them to develop their own style provided that they are successful. In order to prepare themselves for the season, the baseball team made their annual trek to Florida to practice as well as to play preseason games against Florida league teams. It was hoped that this year ' s squad would seek revenge in the MAAC and beat out rival Temple. A noted absence on the Explorers was that of Assistant Coach Chet Di- Emidio, who was signed by the Chica- go White Sox organization to coach one of their farm clubs. He was re- placed by Bob Vivian. Sophomore Mark lacovelli awaits the pitch. Coach Gene O ' Donnell checks the stats during team tryouts. ' 55

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Women ' s Crew Women ' s Program Keeps Growing By Mary Goldschmidt The Head of the Schuylkill Regatta held in October proved to be a good beginning for a young varsity women ' s sguad. Of thirty-three boats. La Salle ' s crew captured fourteenth place. This very respectable finish came against mostly Ivy League and Club Crews, and both coach Tim Conrad and sguad members were extremely pleased with their performance. In the spring season. La Salle will race in the Dad Vail Regatta with a Varsity Lightweight-4, averaging 125 lbs. The sguad includes co-captains Stephanie Gamble and Sue Byrne, Peg McCabe, Ann Meehan, Andrea Bonaccorsi, Shar- on Cody, and Ira Jones. The women hope to do even better than last year ' s sauad which placed twelfth among thirty-three boats. The freshman crew, who spent the fall on basics such as rowing style, will practice with and against the varsity sauad come spring. They hope to build both strength and confidence as they face their first races. As senior co-captain Stephanie Gamble pointed out, a rower is also a runner, a weightlifter, a cyclist, and, above all, a determined athlete. The varsity and novice Women ' s Crew are looking forward to testing themselves, and building a successful program at La Salle. Coxswain Sharon Cody directs the Novice 4 boat away from the dock The Novice 4 give it their all during a race. Roster: Andrea Bonaccorsi. Brigid Brennan, Susan Byrne, Sharon Cody, Melissa Delancy, Tania Dennis, Stephanie Gamble, Bernadette Hughes, Ira Jones, Margaret McCabe, Carol McCue, Ann Mee- han, Jane Nagle, Lois Toner, Julie Yentz, Tim Conrad (Coach), Daraius Unwalla (Asst. Coach) The Junior Varsity 8 compete in a race last spring.