Iona University’s men’s and women’s rowing teams completed their fall schedule at the Metropolitan Championships, held at home in New Rochelle at Glen Island Park.  

The first event of the season for the Gaels was a boat dedication event at Iona’s homecoming weekend during halftime of the Iona rugby match, where student-athletes on the team, the coaches and alumni came together.  

The Gaels’ first official meet of the season was at the Navy Day Regatta, which was hosted in Philadelphia at Fairmount Park on Oct. 16.
 

Iona entered two boats into the men’s collegiate fours. The teams finished 18th and 19th respectively with times of 13:12 and 13:48. The women’s collegiate four finished in a time of 15:32.  

The men’s varsity 8 finished 22nd overall in a time of 12:01, while the women’s varsity 8 also finished in 22nd place in a time of 14:01 to round out the meet results for the Gaels.
 

Next on the calendar, the Gaels competed at the Head of Charles, which was hosted in Boston, Massachusetts on the Charles River on Oct. 22.  

The Gaels participated in the Men’s Club 4, where their boat finished 27th in a time of 17:39.562. Last season the team’s boat also finished 27th, but the team improved their score this season.  

For Iona’s penultimate meet of the fall season, they competed at the Head of the Schuylkill, hosted in Philadelphia, PA at Fairmount Park, on Oct.29.
 

The Gaels competed in four races on the day starting with the men’s varsity four+, where they finished 20th place in a field of 48 entries in a time of 13:33. The men competing for the Gaels included freshmen Marshall Leeson and Jack Allen, junior students Oliver Sanchez and John Tomsen and senior Nick Karpov.  

In the women’s club four+, the Gaels’ team finished 36th out of 52. The team consisting of sophomores Anna Meehan, Emma Ibbetson, Layne McDonald, Ciana Quintana and junior Jasmin Ceja-Vega, who notched a time of 15:52 for the event.
 

The men’s varsity eight earned a top-15 finish as they finished with a time of 12:16. The Gaels’ team finished 13th overall in a field of 35 boats, as the team was made up of freshmen Marshall Leeson, Jack Allen, Andrew Catinella, sophomores Finn Bolger, Ethan Megal, Daniel Vanadia, and junior students Thomas Koetzner, Zachary Morocho and John Tomsen.
 

The women’s varsity 8+ rounded out the day for the Gaels. The team finished in a time of 14:15, which earned them 28th place. The team was made up of freshmen Mackenna Agosti, sophomores Grace Mutze, Grace Barber, Kaeli Dean, Layne McDonald and Cara Donnelly, junior Abigail Kokiadis, and senior Gwyneth Sauter.
 

Both teams completed the fall portion of their schedule by hosting the Metropolitan Championships Regatta at Glen Island Park. The men competed in six total races, while the women in four events.
 

On the women’s side, the varsity squad made up of Ciana Quintana, Gabriella Bifulco, Jasmin Ceja-Vega, Brianna Riordan and Anna Meehan finished in second in a time of 9:34.
 

The varsity eight boat and varsity 2+ boat for the women both finished in fourth, and wrapping up the day for the Gaels, the novice eight finished fifth.  

The men’s team won Iona’s lone gold of the day in the Men’s varsity 2x, with Oliver Sanchez and Thomas Koetzner winning.
 

In the men’s varsity 2, Ethan Megal and Finn Bolger finished second in the opening race of the day in a time of 7:55.