Women’s Rowing Added as an Intercollegiate Sport
Women’s rowing elevated from a club sport beginning in the 2015-16 academic year.
Manhattan College will add women’s rowing as an intercollegiate sport beginning in the 2015-16 academic year. The College will continue to support 19 sport programs as the Jaspers simultaneously discontinue the women’s tennis program.
“We are very excited to add a woman’s rowing program to our list of intercollegiate offerings,” said Noah D. LeFevre, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. “The addition of a rowing program will enable us to increase our athletic participation and it will open up new doors to us from a development perspective. We are looking forward to competing in the MAAC women’s rowing championship as an intercollegiate program.”
Current Manhattan College club coach James Foley will continue to guide the rowing program as it ascends to intercollegiate status.
During his time in Riverdale, Foley supervised practices on the Harlem River, instructed rowers to help them gain speed and efficiency, while maintaining the program’s equipment and fleet. Foley also holds U.S. Rowing Coaches Association Level II coaching and U.S. Coast Guard Boat Captain safety certifications.
The advancement to intercollegiate status will enable the program to be eligible to win a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship. The conference features nine other schools in women’s rowing, including Canisius, Fairfield, Iona and Marist along with associate members Drake, Jacksonville, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart and Stetson.
As one of the eight founding members of the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia, the largest collegiate regatta in the U.S., Manhattan College participates each year in May. The race attracts more than 100 colleges and universities from the U.S. and Canada.
Manhattan College currently operates its fleet out of the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse, located along the Harlem River.