FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 6, 2005 YALE-HARVARD SET FOR 141 st REGATTA Oldest Collegiate Competition Takes Place on June 10

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1 YALE UNIVERSITY SPORTS PUBLICITY OFFICE Box * New Haven, CT (203) * Fax: (203) * Steve Conn, Director * Tim Bennett, Assistant * Hank Gargiulo, Intern FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 6, 2005 YALE-HARVARD SET FOR 141 st REGATTA Oldest Collegiate Competition Takes Place on June 10 NEW HAVEN, Conn. It is the oldest collegiate athletic competition. Football at Yale did not exist and there was no baseball diamond on campus. Sports Illustrated named this event the most venerable rivalry in college sports. There have been 140 meetings since 1852, which makes this year s event the 154th anniversary. There are three rowing competitions, one of which is the longest race anywhere. It s the Yale- Harvard Regatta and the next one is Saturday, June 10. THE SCHEDULE The freshman two-mile sprint is scheduled to begin at 3:45 p.m., followed by the three-mile second varsity race at 4:30. The featured four-mile varsity race will launch at 5:30. The combination race, also two miles, will be Friday at 5 p.m. All races are upstream and will finish at Bartlett s Cove. In the event of inclement weather, the races may be postponed until Sunday, June 11, with the races beginning at 8:15 a.m. RACE HISTORY The country s first intercollegiate sporting event occurred August 3, 1852, when the Yale and Harvard crews set out on a two-mile race on Lake Winnepesaukee in New Hampshire. The Crimson won that inaugural race and has since built an varsity advantage in the Regatta series. The longest win streak by either school is Harvard s 18-year run from 1963 to The second longest was 11 years (Harvard ). Yale s longest streak is six, done twice around the turn of the century ( , ) and from New London has hosted the Regatta on all but five occasions since COMPARING VARSITIES The Yale varsity is ranked 7th in the most recent national polls. The Bulldogs finished sixth in the grand final at last weekend s Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta and sixth at the grand final of Eastern Sprints. Harvard saw its three-year reign as national champions snapped last weekend at the IRA regatta, finishing fourth. Yale is led by fourth-year head coach John Pescatore (Penn 86), while Harvard has 44thyear mentor Harry Parker (Penn 57). LAST YEAR S RACE Harvard took varsity and freshman races for the fifth straight year while Yale claimed the JV race, its first victory in the regatta since The Crimson finished the four-mile varsity race with a time of 18:54.4 to Yale s 19:44.2. Yale won the three-mile JV race with a time of 14:12.7 to 14:32.9. Harvard opened the event by capturing the freshman race with a time of 9:06.1 compared to Yale s 9:13.6 on the two-mile course. All races were upstream. YALE HEAD COACH JOHN PESCATORE (Penn 86) In his fourth season with the Eli heavyweights, head coach John Pescatore is a two-time United States Olympic rower, and has been an assistant coach at both Penn and Stanford. He won a bronze medal in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games as the stroke for the U.S. heavyweight eight and was the stroke for the U.S. pair without coxswain that placed sixth in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. In addition, he was the stroke for the heavyweight eight that captured a gold medal at the 1987 World Championships in Copenhagen. Pescatore also has international coaching experience. He served as the assistant coach for the 2000 United States Olympic Rowing Team (Dec Oct. 2000) in Princeton, N.J., and coached the men s coxless pair to a silver medal in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. For his efforts, he

2 was named the 2000 U.S. Rowing Coach of the Year. Most recently, he was an assistant coach at Penn in 2002 and the head coach of the Vesper Boat Club in Philadelphia, historically the most successful club program in the United States for placing athletes on national and Olympic rowing teams. Prior to that, Pescatore was the director of both girls and boys rowing at St. Ignatius College Preparatory School in San Francisco, where he coached both the varsity and junior varsity eights to medals in all seven of his years. In 1997, he guided his varsity eight to a national championship, which made St. Ignatius the most successful crew in California High School rowing history. Pescatore was an assistant coach at Stanford for three years where he recruited freshmen on and off campus. Pescatore is a 1986 graduate of Penn and was the captain of the heavyweight crew that won the Eastern Sprints title in his senior year. He earned his masters degree in teaching mathematics from the University of San Francisco in If you need to contact Pescatore about the Regatta, he can be reached in his office at (203) or at Gales Ferry ( ). YALE FRESHMAN COACH EVANS LIOLIN (Chicago 97) In his third season as Yale freshman coach, Liolin brings international and collegiate coaching experience to New Haven. During a two-year stint as head coach of the U.S. Junior National Team, Liolin led his squad to a silver medal in the men s eight at the 2003 World Junior Championships and a bronze in 2002 at the same event. Prior to the national team, Liolin was the freshman coach at Northeastern from , where his second freshman placed second at the Eastern Sprints in Liolin, head women s coach at the Loyola Academy Rowing Association in Wilmette, Ill., from , founded the women s program and managed the operations with the board of directors. Liolin was men s head coach of the University of Chicago from and coached crews to one gold, two silver and two bronze medals in regional competition. A 1997 graduate of Chicago, Liolin earned a degree in religion and the humanities and was captain of the crew team. YALE VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT COACH MARK MANNION 05 Mannion is in his first season on the Yale staff after a stellar career. He rowed to two bronze medals at the Eastern Sprints in his four-year career at Yale, once in the freshman eight and again in the junior varsity his senior year. Competing in the varsity eight in 2004 and 2005 at the IRA's and the Yale-Harvard Regatta, Mark was part of the fastest varsity crew at Yale since Prior to attending Yale, Mark rowed for St. Josephs Prep of Philadelphia. While at "the Prep" Mark competed in the varsity eight for three consecutive years, winning 11 out of 12 medal races with four straight National Championships and Stotesbury Cups. In addition, Mark crossed the pond twice to compete at the Henley Royal Regatta in England and raced to first place in the Princess Elizabeth Cup in Currently, he is extending his commitment to the program by working as an assistant to head coach John Pescatore. UPS AND DOWNS This is the 59th upstream race on the Thames with Harvard holding a advantage in that direction. The Cantabs have won 16 straight races starting by I-95 and heading north. The upstream record was set by Harvard in 1995 with an 18:41.9. Harvard holds a advantage over Yale in downstream races though the Elis have won the last two (1996, 1999). The four-mile downstream record time of 18:22.4 was set by Harvard in BULLDOGS AT 2006 SPRINTS Yale s varsity boat matched its best finish since 1998, reaching the grand final at Eastern Sprints and finishing sixth for the second consecutive year with a time of 5: The other Bulldog varsity boats also performed well. The second varsity took second in 6: and earned the silver medal. The first freshman boat placed sixth in the grand final (6:12.553) and the second freshman finished their grand final in 6:43.30, good for fourth. YALE AT 2006 IRA REGATTA The Bulldog varsity placed sixth in the grand final of IRAs with a time of 5: The junior varsity boat also qualified for their grand final, placing second with a time of 5:44.11 and the freshman boat took fifth in the petite final with a time of 5: REGATTA ON THE RADIO

3 All three races will be broadcast live on WKNL Kool 101 (100.9 FM. All three races will be covered by veteran Regatta commentator Charlie Hamlin and Yale lightweight crew coach Andy Card. BULLDOG BITES Yale has had 50 U.S. Olympic rowing selections since the 1924 Eli varsity brought home the gold in the Paris Games The Bulldogs have a young squad, featuring only seven seniors, with four hailing from the Golden State A trio of Connecticut natives are slated to race for Yale on Saturday. They are juniors Patrick Purdy ( varsity, East Lyme) and Charlie Cole (varsity, New Canaan) and Vince Granata (combination, Orange) Yale heavyweight crew has 22 boats, including 11 eight-man shells. All 11 of those boats have been dedicated and carry a name, a process which is handled by the naming committee A 6 x 4-foot framed photo of Yale s 1956 Olympic Gold Medal boat crossing the finish line in Australia now hangs in the freshman living quarters at Gales Ferry Yale is the oldest boat club in America Yale snapped Harvard s eight-race JV win streak last year, but still trail the series, Harvard also leads the freshman series, which dates to 1893, FERRY HAS SPLIT LOYALTIES The Gales Ferry community has always been active in promoting the Regatta. Yale camp neighbors Margo Seawall and Rene Murkle paint Good Luck Yale in blue and white on the street every year. Residents have put up Yale oars and signs, and a power plant on the river hangs a large Go Yale banner. The town, which is impartial, has installed signs at both ends of Route 12. One reads, Welcome to Gales Ferry, Home of the Yale-Harvard Regatta in blue. The other welcome sign reads, Home of the Harvard-Yale Regatta, in red. Neighbors to the Yale Camp have been known to re-paint the rock in Yale colors after the race each year. VIEWING THE RACE The river will be closed to traffic on race day from 3 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. or approximately 30 minutes after the finish of the varsity race. Spectator boats may anchor along, but clear of, the race course. Spectators on shore can watch the start of the race from Riverside Park, the middle portion on various beaches below the railroad tracks and the finish at the rock at Barlett s Cove. BULLDOG CAPTAIN JOHN PETERSEN John Petersen has been a valuable member of the Yale heavyweight program throughout his four-year career. He currently sits at the bow of the second varsity eight, after holding the same spot for the varsity eight his junior year. The Los Gatos, Calif. native began his Bulldog career in the six seat of the first freshman eight, but quickly graduated to the bow seat of the varsity eight then the no. four seat of the second varsity during his sophomore season. Petersen is an English major who resides in Silliman College. During his tenure at Yale he participated in the Bulldog Buddies program as a youth mentor for two years and co-founded the Yale Undergraduate Barbecue Outreach. He also is the lead singer in the band Four Season Swell. While at the Bellarmine College Prep School in San Jose, Calif., he helped the Los Gatos Rowing Club finish second at the Southwest Regional and eighth in the nation at the U.S. Rowing Youth Invitational. He also played outside linebacker for the Bellarmine football team. Born July 31, 1984, to Cathleen and Mark Petersen, John has one sister, Katie. After graduation Petersen will work in Washington, D.C. for the Teach for America program. GILDER BOAT HOUSE Following the 1999 racing season, the Robert Cook Boathouse fell and construction commenced on the Gilder Boathouse. It is an expansive facility that stretches south to the finish line of Yale s 2,000-meter race course and incorporates design features specific to the needs of the program and the requirements of the site on the Housatonic River. Selected in a design competition in February 1998, the New Haven firm of Turner Brooks Architects has created a building that is unlike any other boathouse in the world. The main building entrance brings athletes, coaches and visitors through the heraldic sliding oar door (a clustered frieze of aluminum oars) onto a porch that opens up dramatically to a framed view of the river. Here a generously expanding stair spills down to connect with the docks and the water below. The staircase and deck function as a multipurpose space for team meetings and other group activities. The athletes proceed out along the porch overlooking the river to enter the locker rooms. The coaches have their own

4 office and lobby area. A lounge is located south of the river for viewing the approach of racing boats. This space, anchored by a large fireplace, is also designed to house trophies and other memorabilia. Important For the Media PRESS CONFERENCE SET FOR JUNE 7 The annual pre-race press conference is Tuesday, June 6 starting at noon at Gales Ferry with the Yale crew, followed by lunch at Red Top with Harvard. Both coaches and all rowers will be available for comments and photographs. You can make reservations for the media boat at the press conference. BOAT AVAILABLE TO WORKING PRESS If you are planning to cover the Regatta, please contact the Yale Sports Publicity Office at (203) There will be a media boat to follow all three races which will depart from Harvard s Red Top at 9:15 a.m. You must make advance reservations; seats are limited and will be given on a first-come, firstserve basis. DIRECTIONS TO THE CAMPS Take I-95 to Exit 86 and get on Route 12 North towards Gales Ferry. Stay on Route 12 for approximately 4.6 miles, and look for a white school building on the left. You will see a white street post sign for Hurlbutt Road. Take a left onto Hurlbutt Road. To get to Yale s camp, go straight over the bridge and to the street s end. To get to Harvard s camp, take a left at the stop sign and drive no more than a mile, you will see a big house set back in a large yard.

5 PROBABLE BOATINGS FOR REGATTA as of June 6 Varsity Pos. Name Cl. Ht. Wt. High School/Hometown Regatta Experience C Alfred Shikany Jr Cincinnati, OH/St. Xavier 04: FC; 05: VC Stroke Sean Lynam Jr Alexandria, VA/TC Williams 04: F6; 05: V1 7 Matt Brown Sr Rocklin, CA/UCLA 04: V8; 05 V8 6 Greg Williams Sr San Francisco, CA/St. Ignatius 03: F7; 04: V5; 05:V5 5 Patrick Purdy Jr East Lyme, CT/East Lyme 04: F5; 05: 2V4 4 Charlie Cole Jr New Canaan, CT/New Canaan 3 Matt Campbell Jr Toronto, ONT/Upper Canada 04: F3; 05: 2V6 2 Jack Vogelsang So Buffalo, NY/City Honors 05: F7 Bow Steve Rawl Sr Ft. Myers, FL/Ft. Myers 03: F8; 04: V4; 05: V6 Second Varsity Pos. Name Cl. Ht. Wt. High School/Hometown Regatta Experience C Dane van der Akker Sr Pacific Palisades, CA/St. Paul s 03: FC; 04: VC; 05: 2VC Stroke Pascal Noel Sr Arlington, VA/Washington Int. 03: F4; 04: 2V6; 05: V4 7 Sean Hurley So Cleveland Heights, OH/St. Ignatius 05: F1 6 Hunter Swartz Jr Seattle, WA/James A. Garfield 5 Marcelino Pantoja Sr Tracy,CA/Tracy Joint Union 05: C5 4 Michael Smith Jr Republic, MO/Republic 05: 2V2 3 Tyler Guth So Bettendorf, IA/Pleasant Valley 05:F6 2 Liam Beedling So St. Catherine s, ONT/Sir Winston Churchill 05:F2 1 John Petersen Sr Los Gatos, CA/Bellarmine 03:F6; 04:2V4; 05: V7 Freshman Pos. Name Cl. Ht. Wt. High School/Hometown C Jessica Zvara Fr Winston Salem, NC/Mt. Tabor Stroke Pat Dewechter Fr Mt. Laurel, NJ/St. Joseph s Prep (Philadelphia, PA) 7 Andy Collard Fr Cedar Rapids, IA/Philips Exeter Academy 6 Dave Talbot Fr Wayne, PA/Episcopal Academy 5 Pieter Morgan Fr Johannesburg, South Africa/St. John s College 4 Keir Evans Fr Manchester, MA/Manchester Esses Regional 3 Sean Riordan Fr McLean, VA/Gonzaga College H.S. 2 Matt Barber Fr Chicago, IL/Univ. of Chicago Lab 1 Max Kramer Combination Pos. Name Cl. Ht. Wt. High School/Hometown Regatta Experience C Michael Ciccotti So Haverford, PA/Episcopal Acad. 05: FC Stroke Dan Goetz Jr Port Washington, NY/Paul D. Schreiber 05: C4 7 Andrew Brannan Fr Tampa, FL/H.B. Plant 6 John Weiber Jr Gladwyne, PA/Episcopal Acad. 05: C2 5 Rob Martinez Fr Nashua, NH/Bishop Guertin 4 Vince Granata Fr Orange, CT/Hopkins School 3 Tiff Strauss Fr Claremont, CA/Claremont 2 Charlie Pfifer Fr Washington, D.C./St. Andrew s Episcopal 1 Dave Zaragoza Sr. Woodmere, NY/Kellenberg Memorial

6 TIMELINE OF YALE CREW CHAMPIONS AND HIGHLIGHTS 1843 Yale starts the first college boat club in America Yale races Harvard in the first intercollegiate athletic event in U.S Sliding seat first used in Yale- Harvard race Yale and Harvard settle on 4- mile distance for annual regatta Yale-Harvard Regatta moves to its current home on the Thames River Heavyweights start a streak over Harvard leading to 17 wins in 20 races Heavyweight varsity eight wins gold medal at Olympics for USA Lightweights win national championship Heavyweights go undefeated and beat Harvard. Lightweights win sprints and compete at Henley Lightweights win first Joseph Wright Cup for Eastern Champion Heavyweights win Rowe Cup for supremacy at Eastern Sprints Varsity, J.V. and Freshmen Lightweights win Eastern Sprints Heavyweights, Freshmen and J.V. Lightweights win Eastern Sprints Lightweight Freshmen win Sprints and go undefeated Heavyweight varsity eight wins gold medal at Olympics for USA Heavyweights win Eastern Sprints Heavyweights win Eastern Sprints Women's crew begins at Yale Freshman Lightweights win Eastern Sprints Women and Freshman Lightweights win Eastern Sprints Heavyweights win Eastern Sprints and race at Henley Women win Eastern Sprints and National Championship. Heavyweights win varsity, J.V. and Freshman Sprints; J.V. wins at Henley. Heavyweights win Rowe Cup at Eastern Sprints. Lightweights win Eastern Sprints and race at Henley J.V. Heavyweights win at Henley Women win Eastern Sprints, Novice Women win nationals. Heavyweights win Eastern Sprints and race at Henley. Lightweights race at Henley Heavyweights win Eastern Sprints and first National Championship Heavyweights race at Henley. Freshman lightweights win at Eastern Sprints and set a course record Lightweights win San Diego Crew Classic, Sprints and race at Henley Lightweights win San Diego Crew Classic Lightweights win San Diego Crew Classic and race at Henley. Novice Women win Eastern Sprints and National Championship. Women win Willing Cup for overall supremacy at Eastern Sprints Lightweights win Eastern Sprints, National Championship and race at Henley. Novice Women win Eastern Sprints and National Championship. Women win Willing Cup for overall supremacy at Eastern Sprints J.V. and Novice Women win National Championship. Women win Willing Cup for overall supremacy at Eastern Sprints Lightweights win San Diego Crew Classic and Jope Cup for overall supremacy at Eastern Sprints Lightweights win San Diego Crew Classic for fifth time in six attempts. Lightweights win Sprints, National Championship and race at Henley Heavyweight Freshmen win EARC Sprints and race at Henley. Lightweights win back-to-back HYPs for first time since J.V. Lightweights win Sprints and race at Henley. Women's J.V. 8 wins Schweppes International Regatta Women's Four wins national championship. J.V. Heavyweights win San Diego Crew Classic. Lightweights capture third straight HYP crown 1994 Women V-8 finish second at nationals. Lightweights win Jope Cup at Sprints. Heavyweights take Blackwell Cup. J.V. Lightweights win Sprints and race at Henley Heavyweights win Blackwell Cup. Lightweights capture Joy Cup, Dodge Cup and Durand Cup Heavyweights win the Blackwell Cup for the third year and sweep Harvard in New London. Freshmen go undefeated, win Eastern Sprints and win the Temple Challenge Cup at Henley Lightweight Freshman win sprints. Lightweights capture Jope Cup. Heavyweights win third varsity and take silver in the junior varsity & varsity and are second in Rowe Cup points. Women qualify for inaugural NCAA Rowing National Championship Lightweights take bronze at Sprints. JV Lights capture silver Heavyweights defeat Harvard in New London. Freshmen Lightweights go undefeated and win Sprints gold. Novice Women take bronze at Sprints and gold at IRA Lightweights win National Championship and travel to Henley where they win the Temple Challenge Cup. Lighweight Varsity & JV capture silver medal at Sprints. Lightweight Freshmen win Sprints bronze Lightweights win Jope Cup at Sprints and take the gold in the varsity and JV 2002 Lightweights win Jope Cup at Sprints while taking gold in varsity and freshman events Women finish second in the team competition at the NCAA Championships in Rancho Cordova, Calif Lightweights win national title at IRAs and take silver at Sprints. Women win Sprints and finish seventh overall (fifth in varsity) at NCAA Championships JV Captures silver at Sprints, Lightweights take bronze at Sprints, Women compete in NCAA Championships in Mercer Lake.