Aberdeen Dad Vail ® Regatta - Boiler Up! Purdue Steal Shows At Aberdeen Dad Vail

Rarely does the champion of the mighty Men's Varsity Heavyweight eight at the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta get upstaged.

But if there was ever anyone to do it, and ever a weekend to do it on, Purdue's Rachel Young managed to steal the show.

After being commissioned into the United States Army as a second lieutenant in an afternoon ceremony on the Schuylkill River awards dock on Saturday, Young, a Purdue senior and member of the university's proud ROTC program, added some gold to go with the silver bars upon her shoulders.

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The Purdue Women's Varsity Eight escaped Philadelphia with a pair of thrilling victories — the first in the morning semifinals, the second in the afternoon finals — to capture the Women's Aberdeen Trophy.

"This is crew," said Young, beaming on the awards dock recently erected by Aberdeen with the championship trophy — the Boilermakers' first since 2007. "This is our season all put together. Everything we work for, every stroke we take on the water, on the earth, this is what it comes down to. Today was my day. Today was my team's day. Today was Purdue crew's day. And we won it."

Young and the Boilermakers narrowly beat second-place Old Dominion by .33 seconds to capture the title, while Grand Valley went back to Michigan with bronze.

The Women's Varsity Eight victory propelled Purdue to the Aberdeen Dad Vail overall points trophy with a tally of 41 points over Michigan (33) and Delaware (27), as well as the women's points trophy with 21 points ahead of Saint Joseph's (17) and Grand Valley State (13).

Michigan, meanwhile, captured its third Men's Varsity Heavyweight title in program history. Considered the favorite all along, the Wolverines outlasted second-place Florida Tech and third-place Delaware to reclaim the Aberdeen Men's Trophy for the first time since 2009.

The Michigan men also won the men's point trophy with 33 points over Virginia (24) and Delaware (22).

The loaded second finals of the Men's and Women's Varsity Eights were both filled with talent and both impressively won by Drexel. On the women's end, the Dragons edged West Virginia and UConn, while the men's side saw coach Paul Savell's crew topped local rival Temple and defending champion Brock.

In the other grand finals at the 2011 Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta presented by Coca-Cola:

Purdue's Men's Frosh/Novice Lightweight Eight won gold over rival Michigan and Grand Valley State to win the Brendan Lynch Trophy.

Bucknell won the Dennis Kamrad Trophy for its win in the Women's Varsity Lightweight Eight by more than a length over Georgia Tech and Buffalo.

For the second straight year, Mercyhurst went home with the Thomas W. Loschiavo Trophy in the Men's Varsity Lightweight Eight after a comfortable victory over Delaware and Michigan.

On the heels of its men's victory, the Mercyhurst women outlasted Seattle Pacific and Nova Southeastern in the Women's Varsity Heavyweight Eight (Div. II).

Marietta won the Women's Varsity Heavyweight Eight (Div III) over Emory and Rochester; while Washington University won gold over Middlebury and Bowdoin in the Women's Varsity Heavyweight Four w/Cox (Div. II & III).

Emory edged Brock and Fairfield in the Women's Frosh/Novice Four with Cox; while the Lindy Cup went to Rollins, which beat out Villanova and Michigan in the Women's Frosh/Novice Four with Cox.

The Sarah Vaughn Trophy was won by Western Ontario in an easy victory over Purdue and Villanova as Men's Frosh/Novice Four w/Cox champs.

Purdue came away with the Lev Brett Bowl in the Men's Frosh/Novice Heavyweight Eight narrowly beating a gutsy second-place effort by Drexel, while Virginia finished third.

Fairfield, Loyola Marymount and Pittsburgh finished in that order in the Women's Pair without Cox as Drexel, Lafayette and Iona did the same in the men's event. The Dragons brought the Bob Negaard Trophy back to Boathouse Row.

Saint Joseph's battled with second-place Bucknell and third-place Buffalo the raise the Coleman D. Boylan Trophy as Women's JV Heavyweight Eight champions.

The Ernie Bayer Trophy went to Virginia for its Men's JV Heavyweight Eight victory over Michigan and Temple.

The Women's Lightweight Four saw UMass win handily over Pittsburgh and Stetson to bring home the Robert Espesth Trophy.

California celebrated a five-second victory over both Temple and Chicago in the Men's Lightweight Four to win the James J. Lynch Trophy.

Villanova shocked top contenders Old Dominion and Saint Joseph's to grab the Margaret McNiff Trophy as Women's Varsity Hvwt Four.

The Men's Varsity Heavyweight Four, meanwhile, went to Georgia Tech, which beat Colgate and MIT for the Thomas A. Curran Trophy.

2011 Aberdeen Dad Vail Point Trophies
Overall
Purdue 41
Michigan 33
Delaware 27

Men's
Michigan 33
Virginia 24
Delaware 22

Women's
Purdue 21
Saint Joseph's 17
Grand Valley State 13

Brendan F. Quinn
Editorial Writer
Dad Vail Regatta Organizing Committee
DVROC Office Line: (610) 234-2076
brendan.quinn@dadvail.org.
www.dadvail.org
www.twitter.com/DadVaildotTV

About the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta, Presented by Coca-Cola®
The Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta presented by Coca-Cola is the largest collegiate regatta in North America with over 100 colleges and universities from the United States and Canada. Held annually since 1953 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the Schuylkill River, thousands of student athletes and spectators visit the City of Philadelphia during the weekend of the second Saturday in May.

About Title Sponsor — Aberdeen Asset Management
Aberdeen Asset Management Inc is the wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary of Aberdeen Asset Management PLC, a global investment management group which is headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland, and manages more than $287 billion of assets for both institutions and private individuals (as of Dec. 31, 2010). Philadelphia is home to the U.S. equity and fixed income investment management teams, as well as U.S. client servicing, consultant relations, business development and other operational staff: more than 180 employees in total. Aberdeen manages and services approximately $53 billion in total assets on behalf of North American and international clients. For more information, visit www.aberdeen-asset.us Here in the U.S., Aberdeen is also proud to be one of the supporters of the British Garden at Hanover Square, New York. This New York City park celebrates historic ties of friendship and unity between the U.S. and the UK. Globally, Aberdeen has a long standing association with university rowing competitions having sponsored the Oxford v Cambridge University Boat Race in the UK from 1999 – 2005. The company also continues to support the Aberdeen Universities Boat Race in Aberdeen, Scotland in their annual event which takes place every February.

About Presenting Sponsor — The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Together with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world's most valuable brand, the Company's portfolio includes 14 billion dollar brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply and Georgia Coffee. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages at a rate of 1.6 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that protect the environment, conserve resources and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information about our Company, please visit our website at http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com.

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