Old Dominion Boat Club Crew Rises to the Challenge at Occoquan

The men and women of the Old Dominion Boat Club (ODBC) are only in their second week of the 2012 fall rowing season, but they looked like veterans this past Sunday at the Occoquan Challenge, a regatta that saw the ODBC crew come away with a victory in one race and come in second in a pair of other races, as well.

Coxswain Mark Comey guides the ODBC Men's Junior 8 past another boat and around an orange buoy on their way to a second-place showing at the Occoquan Challenge. Members of the boat include, from left to right, coxswain Mark Comey and rowers Chris Porter, Madison Weitekamp, Greg Montenegro, Carter Weitekamp, Dru Hodges, Ray Rhatican, Ripley Carroll and Chris Dobson.

Leading the way were the ODBC Men's Junior 4, who made their way across the 4.5-kilometer course on the Occoquan Reservoir with a time of 14:51.33, nearly 20 seconds faster than runner-up Bethesda-Chevy Chase Crew Boosters, who finished with a time of 15:10.37. Members of the ODBC Men's Junior 4 include coxswain Mark Comey and rowers Chris Porter, Madison Weitekamp, Carter Weitekamp and Greg Montenegro.

ODBC rowers also rose to the challenge in the Junior 8 competition, with both the Old Dominion men and women coming away with second-place finishes in their respective events. In the women's competition, the ODBC "A" boat finished with a time of 16:01.93, which was 15 seconds behind Northern Virginia Rowing Club. Members of the ODBC Women's Junior 8 "A" boat included coxswain Rosa Procaccino and rowers Gabriela Salcedo, Alexandria Lemke, Nadia Magallon, Rebecca Gehring, Katie Pickup, Caroline Olsson, Maeve Bradley and Kyra McClary.

In the men's competition, the ODBC Men's Junior 8 also captured second-place honors, finishing with a time of 14:42.80, just over 30 seconds off the blazing pace set by NVRC. Members of the ODBC Junior 8 included coxswain Mark Comey and rowers Chris Porter, Madison Weitekamp, Carter Weitekamp, Greg Montenegro, Dru Hodges, Ripley Carroll, Chris Dobson and Ray Rhatican.

The ODBC Women's Junior 8 "A" boat races toward the finish line and a second-place showing at the Occoquan Challenge. Members of the boat include, from left to right, coxswain Rosa Procaccino and rowers Gabriela Salcedo, Alexandria Lemke, Nadia Magallon, Rebecca Gehring, Katie Pickup, Caroline Olsson, Maeve Bradley and Kyra McClary.

The ODBC Select Crew team is guided by Men's Head Coach Jaime Rubini and Women's Head Coach Steve Weir and Assistant Coaches Lexye Hearding and Patrick Marquardt.

ODBC returns to the Occoquan this coming Sunday, Oct. 14, for the third race of the fall rowing season, the Occoquan Chase.

Additional photos from the 2012 Occoquan Challenge can be found on Facebook:
Photo Set 1 | Photo Set 2