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Ian Hessel was a scholarship rower from February 1986 to May 1989 and served as team captain in 1988 and 1989. He and partner Chris Spencer won the Dad Vail National Championship in the varsity heavyweight pair in 1986. The duo also finished runners-up and won a silver medal in the 1988 varsity heavyweight four. Current rowing head coach, Adrian Spracklen, remembers Ian as follows:
"Ian was a very successful athlete, winning the college's first gold medal at the Dad Vail and later capturing a silver. He was the former ergometer record-holder. His four years on the varsity represented the start of a new era for Mercyhurst rowing. Ian was highly respected by all his teammates and he set a newer and higher standard for others to follow. Everyone wanted to row with Ian and experience his power and presence in the boat."
As a footnote, Ian was also a member of the varsity swim team in 1988 and 1989 and was a member of the group that set the 4x100 freestyle school record. He majored in Accounting and Computer Science and graduated in 1989 with a B+ average.
He is the second inductee from the sport of rowing.
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