Information About the Mount Crew Program
This page is designed to provide an overview of the Mount Crew program for college coaches. For additional information, or for information regarding one of our rowers / coxswains, please contact Megan Kennedy, Head Coach (coxswain@drexel.edu or 484-437-3731).
About Mount Saint Joseph Academy | About our Crew program | Mount Crew Results Spring 2004
Mount Saint Joseph Academy is an all-girls
college-preparatory school enrolling ~560 students (average class size is 20).
Established at Chestnut Hill in 1858,
Mount Saint Joseph Academy is a private, selective day school for girls in
grades 9 through 12, offering a college preparatory education in a Catholic
tradition and context. The Mount is
fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary
Schools and approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The United States Department of Education
has twice recognized Mount Saint Joseph Academy as a Blue Ribbon School of
Excellence in Education. Admission is
through a competitive examination given in early Fall. Approximately 50% of those who apply for
grade 9 are accepted each year. The
MSJA faculty is comprised of Sisters of Saint Joseph and lay teachers. Most faculty members hold masters degrees.
For additional information about the
school, contact the Admission Office at (215) 233-9133 to request the MSJA
Viewbook and school profile or visit the MSJA homepage using the Mount Home
link from the menu bar on the right.
Mount Crew has existed
as a large junior girls rowing program since the winter of 2000. Prior to the 2000 winter season, several
small groups of girls competed for the Mount in sculling events and were
coached through local rowing clubs in Philadelphia. The Mount also had a sweep program in the late 1970’s – early
1980’s. In 2003, Mount Crew was
accepted as permanent members of the Philadelphia Scholastic Rowing Association
(PSRA).
In the winter of 2000,
40 novice rowers formed the core Team that has transformed into the Team that
exists today. The program was formally
initiated as a club sport at the Mount under the coaching staff of Megan
Kennedy’92 and Michael McKenna (for more info about Megan or Mike, please see
our Coaches page).
Today, Mount Crew
consists of ~65-70 athletes (~45 varsity and ~25 novice). The Team has been recognized as a Varsity
sport at the Mount since the spring of 2002.
We currently compete in every eights rowing event available to us in the
spring season, including the Senior 8+, Lightweight 8+, Junior 8+, Second 8+,
Novice 8+ and Freshman 8+. In addition,
we also compete in fours events, as our roster allows each year. Mount Crew is an all-sweep program at this
time, though many of our rowers and coxswains scull in the summer for
Philadelphia and New Jersey clubs.
Mount Crew rows out of
our own Boathouse on the upper Schuylkill River (between the Fayette Street
bridge and the Flat Rock dam) in Conshohocken, PA (just outside of
Philadelphia). In the fall season,
Mount Crew participates in several local regattas, including the Head of the
Schuylkill Regatta, as well as Head of the Charles, as a club sport. Generally, about half of the returning
Varsity Team participates in the fall season (4 days per week); we do not run a
Novice program in the fall (though we do run Novice weekend programs in the
late summer and fall).
Winter practices start
the first week of January. Through the
winter, we practice 6 days per week, with both Varsity and Novice Teams. Winter training includes erg work, strength
training, and cross-training. We are
able to begin rowing in mid-February (following the PSRA guidelines each
year). On the water, we continue to
practice 6 days per week. In addition,
Mount Crew holds a week-long spring break session of double- or
triple-practices in March/April. Our
spring racing season begins in mid-March with the Philadelphia Flick
series. We also compete in the
Philadelphia City Championship, New Jersey State Championship, Dr. White
Regatta (for Freshmen / Novices), Princeton Invitational Regatta, Stotesbury
Cup, and the SRAA National Regatta.
For additional information about Mount
Crew, or to request information about a Mount Crew member, please contact Megan
Kennedy, Head Coach via telephone at 484-437-3731 or via email at coxswain@drexel.edu.