ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The Mercyhurst men's and women's rowing teams got their fall portion of the schedule underway as they competed in the Head of the Genesee on Saturday in Rochester, N.Y. With temperatures in the mid-50's, the rain held off just long enough for Mercyhurst's boats to get rigged, but shifted from a drizzle to a downpour and back several times.

"It was nice for the team to be able to get out and race," said Mercyhurst head coach Adrian Spracklen. "The varsity eights learned a lot about themselves in preparation for the Head of the Charles next week. The team is really looking forward to competing next week."

The men's four (Tracy Kreppel, Ryan Kuntz, Ryan Houston, Ben Urbanowski, Gary Loo) started second in line between Brown University A and Brown University B.  They finished where they started, in second place with a time of 18:02.94.

The women's eight raced next (Holly Ansaldi, Amanda Carlyon, Jessica Olson, Sally O'Brien, Jordan Herbert, Kate Moran, Leyla Dombrowski, Michelle Denninger, Arden Gill). Starting at the front of the pack gave the women a clear shot at the course.  They were able to hold off Ithaca who started in second, but both teams were bested by William Smith College.  The Mercyhurst women's eight finished with a time of 17:53.96.

Mercyhurst entered two boats in the men's eight event.  The A entry (John Thiede, Xavier Alexander, Jake Schuppe, Ivan Palikuca, Chris Branchick, Jeff Murt, Coleman Bak, Dave Cullmer, Marcin Osajda) started second but finished in fourth with a time of 16:00.52 while the B entry (Lindsey Crosby, Amel Younis, Sam Rouse, Dan Jefferies, Ethan Sykes, Caleb Schuler, Mike Gallagher, Jim Gallagher, Zack Pappas) finished with a time of 17:04.54.

Typically the Head of the Genesee includes a head race in the morning followed by a sprint race in the afternoon, however the conditions were so poor that it was decided to scrap the afternoon sprint racing and call it a day after the morning head racing.

The rowing teams will be in competition next weekend at the Head of the Charles in Boston, Mass.