Hall of Fame
Larie Pintea, formerly of the Erie Morning News, birthed the idea to start a rowing team at Mercyhurst, convincing President Sister Carolyn Herrmann to start the program in the fall of 1970. Pintea then became the first rowing coach in the spring of 1971, launching what has become a signature Mercyhurst program.
Pintea was the driving force behind the Lakers’ early success and what he termed “Mercyhurst Crew – A New Tradition.” It was Pintea’s vision that the Lakers’ rowing program would build to the point where it could compete in prestigious international races such as the Henley Royal Regatta, a feat that Mercyhurst accomplished in 2009.
With few resources in the program’s formative years, Pintea obtained the first shell, the Cornell, along with an aging set of oars from West Side Rowing Club in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1971. The crew competed in its first race against the West Side Rowing Club in May 1971 before winning its first races in the fall of 1971 against Notre Dame.
Although Pintea coached just one season at Mercyhurst, his legacy as one of the founders of Mercyhurst rowing was recognized in 1974 when one of three new boats was christened the “Larie Pintea.” Additionally, his efforts helped the interest in rowing grow not just for men, but also for women with Mercyhurst adding women’s rowing in the 1975-76 academic year.
More than 30 years later, Pintea’s foresight of what the Mercyhurst rowing program could become has turned into a reality. Expectations for the success of both the women’s and men’s teams have grown each decade of existence.
Women’s rowing now competes at the varsity level after being elevated from club status. The 2004 edition won the College’s first NCAA Team National Championship and finished as runner-up in 2009. Meanwhile, the men’s program captured two gold medals at the Dad Vail Regatta in 2009 before taking the international stage at the Henley Royal Regatta where the Lakers finished second in the Visitors’ Cup Challenge.
