Georgetown rowers to compete at the senior World Championships

Carlson coxing the US lightweight eight in training

Aug. 8, 2011

WASHINGTON - WASHINGTON - Georgetown Heavyweight alum Jack Carlson '09 (Weston, Mass./BB&N) and Lightweight sophomore Philip Oertle (Zurich, Switzerland/Kantonsschule Freudenberg) have both earned spots on the United States National Rowing Team and will compete at the World Championships in Bled, Slovenia later this month.

Carlson, who will cox the Lightweight Men's Eight, served as the Heavyweight Crew Captain in 2008-09 under Director of Rowing, Tony Johnson. Upon graduating from Georgetown, Carlson earned an Allbritton Fellowship to continue his studies at Oxford where he coxed the Isis crew in the 2010 Boat Race. At the selection camp, Carlson beat out three other coxswains to earn his seat, including a returning National Team coxswain.

"I'm thrilled at the chance to represent the USA at Worlds," said Carlson, "I know our crew will have stiff competition from Italy, Germany, Denmark, Australia, and the other countries, but it is a very aggressive group with something to prove. I'm also very happy to represent Georgetown on the national team, and I'm glad another Hoya, Phil Oertle, also made the team."

Oertle, a rising sophomore on the lightweight squad, is the first Georgetown oarsman to make the U.S. National Rowing Team as an undergraduate. Oertle was the youngest member of the initial group of twenty five oarsmen at the camp, one of only two collegians, and the only oarsman with no prior National Team experience. He is a three-time Swiss National Champion and rowed in the five-seat of his freshman crew last year.

Philip commented, "My head coach from Georgetown, Evans Liolin, suggested that I attend the camp and, after I showed doubts that I would have a chance, he told me 'the experience will make you a better athlete, whether you make it or not.' That convinced me. Once my pair partner and I began rowing together, we believed we could do it and are very happy how it turned out. We have a lot of work ahead of us if we want to accomplish our goals."

Georgetown Crew has now seen sixteen of its own make the U.S. National Team. This marks the first appearance for both Hoyas.

Details surrounding the World Championship can be found at www.usrowing.org and www.row2k.com

Georgetown 1V makes IRA A/B semifinal

June 2, 2011

CHERRY HILL, N.J. - For the first time since 1998, Georgetown University's heavyweight crew qualified a varsity eight into the round of 12 for a chance to race in the Grand Finals at the Interscholastic Rowing Association (IRA) National Championships.

After missing automatic qualification for the semifinals in the Thursday morning heat, Georgetown's top eight of stroke Matt Stewart, Henry Hoffstot, Ben Holtzmuller, Mike Hennessy, Kyle Textor, Tim Broughton, Chan Mahaney, Mike Blommer and Coxswain Kerri McKie faced Columbia, Stanford, Navy, Penn, and Gonzaga in the afternoon repachage. In the opening salvo, Georgetown kept pace with the field, but by the first 500 meter mark of the race Stanford, Navy and Penn had moved ahead by approximately one boat length with Columbia and Gonzaga trailing the Hoyas by similar margins.

The last 1,000 meters would decide the outcome. Georgetown, needing to secure a top three finish to advance to the semis, set a blistering pace in the third quarter of the race that pulled them even with all three front running crews coming into the last 500 meters. Georgetown sprinted to finish 0.7 seconds in front of Penn to secure the third qualifying spot in a time of 5:38.7, less than a second behind Stanford, who finished in first.

Georgetown will face Yale, Wisconsin, Harvard, Washington, and Stanford in semifinal two, Friday at 12:30 PM. The top three finishers in the race will advance to the Grand Finals to determine the national champion though 6th place, while places four through six will race in Saturday's petite final race to decide this year's seventh through 12th place crews.

Georgetown also qualified its varsity four for the semifinals on Thursday. Stroke Steven Kendall, Chris Ulrich, Jack Devlin, Bill Houston and coxswain Katie Courtin rowed to a victory in their repachage over Stanford, the University of California, Harvard, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania in a time of 6:19.0.

IRA bid

May 24, 2011

WASHINGTON - Georgetown's Heavyweight Varsity Eight has received a bid to compete at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships (IRA) on June 2-4 in Camden, N.J. The IRA is rowing's recognized national championships showcasing the top 18 varsity men's crews in the country.

Georgetown last competed at the IRA in the varsity eight category in 2008. Last year at the IRA Georgetown fielded a varsity four that rowed to a silver medal finish.

Georgetown qualified after strong finishes in its regular season and with an 11th place finish at the Eastern Sprints in Worcester, MA on May 15th 2011. Georgetown has also entered a varsity four and a lightweight woman's eight. The team has entered into a final selection for starting line-ups to be announces prior to the competition.

The IRA will be held on the Cooper River in Cherry Hill, NJ. The trial heats begin at 7 a.m. on June 2nd. For complete results and schedule throughout the competition please visit http://www.row2k.com

11th at Sprints

May 16, 2011

WORCESTER, Mass. - The Georgetown University heavyweight varsity eight rowed to their second highest placing ever at the Eastern Sprints this Sunday finishing higher than their 12th seed in 11th place. Georgetown placed 10th in 2006.

In the morning heats, the Georgetown varsity eight of stroke Matt Stewart, Henry Hoffstot, Sam Viola, Mike Hennessy, Kyle Textor, Tim Broughton, Ben Holtzmuller, Mike Blommer and Coxswain Kerri McKie faced fierce competition from Harvard, Syracuse, Cornell, and Pennsylvania. In the opening 1000 meters Penn opened up a half-length lead on the Hoyas. Georgetown paced well in the third quarter of the race and pulled even with Penn coming into the last 500 meters. With a strong push Georgetown sprinted ahead of Penn to finish fourth in a time of 5:56.9 clinching the last qualifying spot in the Petite Final to determine places seven through 12.

Not satisfied with this result, the 1V looks to improve on this finish at IRAs.

Mike Vespoli '68 honored at John Carroll Awards

May 3, 2011

WASHINGTON - Georgetown heavyweight rowing alumnus Mike Vespoli was among five alums recognized with the John Carroll Award at this year's John Carroll Weekend, held this past weekend in San Francisco.

Since 1952, John Carroll Weekend has traveled to a different city each year, gathering the local Georgetown community and alumni, parents and friends from around the globe to celebrate the best of Georgetown. The weekend of educational, social and cultural events offers participants the chance to engage with one another and with Georgetown's outstanding faculty and university leaders, and to learn more about the host city.

The John Carroll Award was established by the Georgetown University Alumni Association in 1951 to honor alumni whose achievements exemplify the ideals and traditions of Georgetown University and its founder, Archbishop John Carroll.

The John Carroll Award is the highest honor bestowed by the alumni association. All recipients have distinguished themselves through lifetime achievement and outstanding service to their alma mater. Five John Carroll Awards are presented each year.

Among the honorees this year were former women's track & field standout Mary Taylor Behrens (C'83) and former rower Michael L. Vespoli (B'68). Others recognized included Philip T. Inglima (C'84, L'88), The Hon. M. Margaret McKeown (L'75, H'05) and Paul F. Pelosi (F'62).

Whether on the water or in the boardroom, Mike Vespoli's passion and decisive leadership have always made him a true champion.

Raised by entrepreneurs who taught him the value of hard work and sacrifice, Mike was able to grasp an opportunity that his parents never had--the chance to attend college. He had never rowed before walking onto the team during his freshman year at Georgetown, but Mike fell in love with the sport and by his senior year, he and his teammates took first place at the 1968 Dad Vail Regatta.

After graduating from the business school, Mike taught and coached crew at St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia and the University of Massachusetts, where he received a master's degree in education. He also continued rowing competitively, winning six national championships before joining the U.S. Olympic Team and placing 5th at the Munich Games. In 1974, the rowing world was stunned when Mike and his eight-oared crew became the first U.S. team to win the world championships since 1930.

Mike revolutionized the sport in the United States when he founded the first racing shell manufacturing company to use high-tech materials instead of traditional wood. Today, Vespoli USA is the largest racing shell builder in North America.

A member of both the National Rowing Foundation Hall of Fame and the Georgetown Athletic Hall of Fame, Mike has maintained a strong connection to the Georgetown crew program that launched his professionally and personally rewarding career. He served as the chair of the rowing association's board of directors for 16 years and has been a member of the board of regents for another 16. In 2000, Georgetown honored Mike with the Outstanding Service to Athletics award. Mike and his wife, Nancy, are members of the Georgetown 1789 Society and have endowed the Vespoli Family Crew Scholarship, which provides need-based financial assistance to rowers.

Mike and Nancy have one daughter, Lauren.

Watch a video of Mike and the other awardees below (skip to 22:22 for Mike):