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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Coming off a tough weekend of racing, the Mountain Hawks have a superb opportunity to get back at it when both the women’s and men’s rowing teams compete in the 39th Annual Murphy Cup on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. Racing is set to begin at 9 am and run until 3:30 pm
“This is a big regatta early in the race season,” said Lehigh head coach Brian Conley. “It is important for a few reasons. The Murphy Cup attracts some very strong teams. It also allows us to see some fellow Patriot League and MARC teams that we will need to beat if we want to accomplish our goals. We will be able to get to see where we stand early on.”
The Lehigh women enjoyed a strong first spring regatta, led by the Varsity Eight finishing second, ahead of Saint Joseph’s on Mar. 19. The Mountain Hawk men opened their season last weekend vs. Mercyhurst, Michigan and Bucknell while the women faced Mercyhurst, but it wasn’t the performance Lehigh expected of itself.
“The coaches have really pushed the team hard this week,” said Conley. “The team is learning to rise to the occasion and learn more and more what it takes to race at the Division I level. We just need to put it together this weekend.”
As the Mountain Hawks look ahead to the Murphy Cup, their hopes and expectations remain high.
“First and foremost, we have to make it to the finals in order to compete for the gold,” said Conley. “So, we are going to take it one race at a time and one stroke at a time. We need to be aware of where our competition is during the race and stay internal on what is making our boats go fast. We have shown that in practice and I think if the team can do that, we will be in a great place at the end of the day of racing.”
Along with tangible results that are on the line, Saturday will also be a good opportunity to gain experience as the Mountain Hawks look to be at their best for championship racing in May.
“Some of the men and women will be racing twice so we can get some of the younger athletes more race experience and try to rise to the challenge,” said Conley.
After Saturday, the men and women both return to the water in two weekends, on Saturday, Apr. 16 at the Kerr Cup – also on the Schuylkill River in Philly.
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