DAYTON – The University of Dayton women's rowing team had another compelling season during the 2022-23 campaign in which it saw times fall and development rise as the Flyers took the next step as a program.

WHAT THEY SAID
"Spring 2023 was an incredible season for success, growth, and opportunities," said captains Kaelyn Stepic and Elli Ertl. "The team started off the season strong and continued to challenge themselves as boats and individuals to do what it took to improve and succeed. The discipline and dedication on this team was palpable every erg, every lift, and every morning on the water. We are proud of each boat and athlete who endured the early mornings, difficult pieces, and exercised physical and mental toughness for the betterment of the team. The growth we made as a collective from August to May is outstanding, and only promises amazing things for years to come. The hard work paid off as the team recorded an incredible number of medaling finishes across boats and impressive performances at each race, from Lubbers to SIRA to A-10s."

"This year was full of many firsts, as we welcomed in an extremely talented novice class," the captains continued. "It was also full of many lasts, as 11 seniors say our goodbyes. We are confident in the leadership and dedication present throughout the underclassmen, and excited to see where they carry the program. At A-10s it became clear that the conference as a whole is transforming, each team gaining speed and confidence. For all of these reasons, it is an exciting time to be an athlete for Dayton Women's Rowing, and we, as your newest alumni, are so excited to see where next year takes us."

SEASON BREAKDOWN
The Flyers kicked-off the fall campaign with a dual meet at Marietta College where UD won both the V8+ and V4+ races. That would set the tone as they looked to develop in their fall portion of the schedule.

Dayton finished up 2022 with the Bald Eagle Regatta in Indianapolis in November. The Flyers highlighted the day with victories by the V8+ A and V4+ A boats. The former won the race by over 20 seconds while the latter earned the win by two seconds.

UD opened up their championship spring with the Lubber's Cup in Michigan on April 1 with wins by the 2V8+ and novice 8+ boats while the V8+ squad placed runner-up.

The Flyers went on to compete in the prestigious SIRA Championships in Tennessee. There Dayton had multiple boats advance to the finals, led by the V8+ boat that finished third overall. The 2V8+ B and novice 8+ boats took third in their respective title races.

The George Mason Invite was next with UD earning silver by the 2V8+ boat in the petite final and bronze by the V8+ boat in the grand final. The V4+ squad earned a third-place finish in the petite final while the 3V4+ boat placed second.

In the final warm-up regatta before the conference championship, Dayton had victories by its V8+ and V4+ teams in the dual meet with Eastern Michigan.

At the 2023 Atlantic 10 Championships, the Flyers highlighted the day with runner-up finishes by the 2V8+ and V4+ boats while the 2V4+ finished third and the V8+ squad placed fifth in the grand finals.

That wrapped up the 2023 season for Dayton.

HONORS
Second Team All-Atlantic 10 - Kaelyn Stepic
Atlantic 10 All-Academic – Elli Ertl, Lauren Myers, Gabby Snyder
College Sports Communicators Academic All-District – Elli Ertl, Angelina Koch, Lauren Myers, Gabby Snyder
A-10 Boat of the Week – May 6 – Varsity 4+ - Sonia Studnicka, Emily Mann, Colleen Stumbris, Bailey Vogel, Madeleine Casto
R.U.D.Y.S. Most Outstanding Leader – Elli Ertl
Rev. Charles L. Collins Outstanding Leadership Award  - Lauren Myers
4.00 Flyers Award – Katherine Blandford, Olivia Dobiesz, Elli Ertl, Kaitlyn Jimison, Adreanna Oelrich, Gabby Snyder, Emily Walker
Dayton All-Academic Team – Gabby Snyder
 
SENIOR PLANS
Emmi Amaral – Graduated Cum Laude; Working as a CNA while applying for Physician's Assistant school
Elli Ertl – Graduated Summa Cum Laude; Currently choosing between two schools to attend medical school in the fall
Kaitlyn Jimison -- Graduated Magna Cum Laude as a double major; Won the Management Information Systems Award to a Senior Majoring in MIS for Outstanding Contributions to the MIS Program; Will be working as an Implementation Analyst at DHL Supply Chain in Columbus
Elizabeth Myers – Graduated Magna Cum Laude; 2023 winner of The Reverend Charles L. Collins, S.M., Award of Excellence to an Athlete for Outstanding Citizenship; Will be attending an accelerated nursing program at Indiana University
Lauren Myers – Graduated Magna Cum Laude; Will be getting a second Bachelor's degree in Purdue's accelerated program in Nursing
Gabby Snyder – Graduated Summa Cum Laude; Won The Lawrence A. Jehn Alumni Award for Excellence in the Senior Class in Computer Science; Will be working as a Software Developer at Freddie Mac in McLean, Va.
Kaelyn Stepic -- Graduated Cum Laude
Jessie Stranen -- Will be a design engineer for McMahon Associates, a Bowman company, in Philadelphia