ITHACA, N.Y. -- Hilary Gehman, The Staley Head Coach of Women's Rowing, has announced the addition of 10 newcomers to the Big Red for the 2011-12 season. The group of nine rowers and one coxswain hail from six different states and bring great talent and experience to the Cornell squad.
“We are very excited about this year's incoming class,” said Gehman. “They bring both power and race experience to our program, and will make an immediate impact on our team, top-end speed, and ability to perform when it counts.”
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Cornell Women's Rowing Newcomers
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Name
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Ht.
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Hometown (Previous School)
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5-9
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Washington, Conn. (The Taft School)
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5-9
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Greenwich, Conn. (Greenwich HS)
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5-2
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Buffalo, N.Y. (Park School)
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Greta Healey
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5-10
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Montclair, N.J. (Montclair HS)
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5-8
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Kenmore, N.Y. (Mount Saint Mary Academy)
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Esme Lovell-Smith
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5-10
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Walpole, N.H. (Miss Porters School)
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5-10
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Riverside, Conn. (Greenwich HS)
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5-11
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Yarmouth, Maine. (Yarmouth HS)
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5-10
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Moorestown, N.J. (Moorestown HS)
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5-8
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Radnor, Pa. (Radnor HS)
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Women's Rowing Class of 2015 Biographies
Emily Ewing – 5-9 – Washington, Conn.
(The Taft School)
Ewing competed in rowing for five years at the Taft School. She was named all-league in 2010 and won the team's Hammer Award for best erg time that same season. Ewing captained the team her senior season. She was also a member of the GMS rowing club.
Gehman on Ewing: Emily is a hard worker and is committed to rowing. We are excited to have her as a part of the Big Red next year, and look forward to seeing her make an impact on the team throughout her four years at Cornell.
Abigail Frey – 5-9 – Greenwich, Conn.
(Greenwich HS)
Frey competed in rowing for six years at Greenwich HS, winning the SDCC in the Jayvee 8 during her senior year and in the Varsity 8 her junior year. She has also competed for the Connecticut Boat Club. Frey's father, Bill '79, attended Cornell.
Gehman on Frey: Abbie comes from a competitive program and understands what it takes to train, compete, and win. She is not afraid of hard work, and we look forward to her showing that to her teammates this fall.
Abby Giancola – 5-2 – Buffalo, N.Y.
(Park School)
Giancola was a coxswain for the West Side Rowing Club. She won a gold medal at the 2010 Canadian Henley in the Junior Women's A 4+. Giancola was invited to participate and raced at the 2011 Youth National Championships in the Women's Junior 4+ A. She was also a two-sport athlete at the Park School of Buffalo, where she played basketball and field hockey. Giancola's older sister, Sarah, rows for Northeastern University.
Gehman on Giancola: Abby brings a great deal of race experience with her to Cornell. We are excited for her to jump in and make her presence known in the coxswain seat from day one. Her enthusiasm and positive attitude will be contagious!
Greta Healy – 5-10 – Montclair, N.J.
(Montclair HS)
Healy was a two-time letter winner at Montclair HS helping her team to the state championship in varsity doubles during her junior and senior years. She also competed with the Nereid Club team.
Gehman on Healy: Greta has the raw power that we look for in recruits. She has the ability to make an immediate impact on the top boats in our program.
Rachel Hirschbeck – 5-8 – Kenmore, N.Y.
(Mount Saint Mary Academy)
Hirschbeck was a member of the rowing team at Mount Saint Mary Academy for five years. She also competed with the West Side Rowing Club, capturing gold medals at the Royal Canadian Henley in 2008 and 2010, as well as at the Empire State Games in 2010. Some of her other accomplishments include winning a silver medal at the USRowing Club Nationals in 2010 and a bronze medal at the USRowing Youth Nationals in 2008. Hirschbeck also captained the West Side club from 2009-11.
Gehman on Hirschbeck: Rachel is an extremely tough competitor, and has stroked her boats at West Side to victories in a variety of races. We are excited to see what she can do at Cornell, and look forward to her demonstrating to her teammates what it takes to win.
Esme Lovell Smith – 5-10 – Walpole, N.H.
(Miss Porters School)
Lovell Smith was a four-time letter winner at Miss Porters School, helping her team to the New England finals all four years. As captain of the team, she was also named as MVP. Lovell Smith also lettered twice in swimming and once in cross country. Her older brother, Nathaniel '13, is a member of the Cornell men's heavyweight rowing team.
Gehman on Lovell-Smith: Esme spent a gap year in France after graduating from Miss Porter's School in 2010. She joins her brother Nathaniel '13 who is on the heavyweight men's team. We are excited to see Esme develop into a powerhouse contributor to the Big Red.
Maria Lycouris – 5-10 – Riverside, Conn.
(Greenwich HS)
Lycouris rowed for the Connecticut Boat Club where she helped the quad to a ninth place finish at the 2011 nationals, while going undefeated in the Varsity 8 and Second Varsity 8. She also rowed for Greenwich HS, wining back-to-back state championships in 2008 and 2009. Lycouris was the team's most valuable rower in 2008 and its most improved rower in 2009.
Gehman on Lycouris: Maria's race experience with a very competitive program, time spent in small boats, work ethic, and desire to improve will allow her to make a immediate impact on our team next year and beyond. We are excited to have a person like Maria joining the squad!
Ali Totta – 5-11 – Yarmouth, Maine.
(Yarmouth HS)
Totta was a four-time letter winner at Yarmouth HS. Some of her achievements include placing first at the Head of the Charles Regatta in the single sculls competition, as well as at the Independence Day Regatta in Junior A singles. She was also named as a Western Maine Conference all-star from 2009-11. Totta also lettered four times in nordic skiing, helping her squad to the alpine/nordic combined team state championship title in all four years, capturing the individual state title as a senior captain. Her father, Michael '80, was a member of the Cornell track and rowing teams.
Gehman on Totta: Ali is a self-motivated, hard worker and we are excited to have someone like her join the team. She has honed her skills in small boats and we are excited to see how she grows and continues to develop in a team environment.
Emily Van Fossen – 5-10 – Moorestown, N.J.
(Moorestown HS)
Van Fossen competed in rowing for four years at Moorestown HS. She also participated with the CanAmMex team in the summer of 2009. Van Fossen did her club rowing with the Moorestown Rowing Club, winning a gold medal in V8+ at the 2011 Garden State Championships, a silver medal in JV4+ at Stotesbury Regatta 2010, and a bronze medal in JV8+ at Stotesbury Regatta in 2009. She also won one letter in swimming. Van Fossen's older sister, Kirsten, is a member of the rowing team at Harvard and her father, William, was also a member of the rowing and swimming teams at Drexel University.
Gehman on Van Fossen: Emily comes to Cornell with broad rowing experience. She has raced both sweep and sculling boats and this versatility will be a huge asset when she joins the Big Red team in the fall.
Alli Webster – 5-8 – Radnor, Pa.
(Radnor HS)
Webster was a three-time letter winner at Radnor HS, winning one gold and two silver medals at the Philadelphia City championship, two gold medals and one bronze at the Stotesbury Cup Regatta, as well as two silver and one bronze medal at Scholastic Nationals throughout her career. She also captained the team during her senior year. Webster lettered once in field hockey. Webster comes from a long line of Cornellians as her father, Dan IV '84, her older brother, Dan V '13, her grandmother, Charmaine, and grandfather, Dan III, all attended Cornell.
Gehman on Webster: Alli understands how to perform under pressure, being part of the Radnor 8+ that won Stotesbury this past spring. She will bring this and her enthusiasm to Cornell with her and we look forward to her presence on the team.
