Alumni support
UD alumni cheer on Blue Hens at Philly's Dad Vail Regatta
7:56 a.m., May 18, 2012--The University of Delaware alumni tent at the 74th Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta was at full capacity along Kelly Drive on Saturday, May 12, to cheer on UD's rowing teams.
The classic Philadelphia regatta, which features more than 3,000 athletes from 130 colleges and universities, also attracts thousands of rowing fans to the banks of the Schuylkill River for the two-day event.
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Over 170 UD alumni, parents and friends of the men's and women's crew programs stopped by the tent to support the Fightin' Blue Hens boats. Fans lined the banks of the Schuylkill cheering UD's crews to victory.
The men's team advanced three crews into the grand finals of Saturday's racing, including the varsity lightweight eight and freshmen/novice lightweight eight, which garnered silver and gold medals, respectively. The women's team advanced two crews into the finals, with the freshmen/novice eight finishing fourth in the grand final and the varsity eight finishing sixth in the second final.
Alumni gathered from across the country to support UD. "It's always a great experience to come back to the regatta and see the success of the programs," said Dan Fitzpatrick, a 2007 graduate of UD, who traveled from New Haven, Conn. "The Dad Vail Regatta is a great way to reunite with classmates and it's such an awesome venue for rowing."
Kenna Plangemann, also of the Class of 2007, traveled from New York, N.Y., and echoed Fitzpatrick's remarks. "It's a great event, and it's always exciting to reconnect with both men's and women's teams alumni I haven't seen in a while. It's a great alumni reunion tradition that was established a couple of years back, and we hope to continue to make it bigger and better every year."
The UD alumni tent was supported by University of Delaware Alumni Association.
Article by Shawn Duff
Photos by Mark Campbell