Photos Courtesy of Al Nowak, On Location Studios

The annual event on the Hudson River Supports Habitat for Humanity of Dutchess County.

July 23, 2019–Marist fielded a team for the 2019 Dutchess Dragon Boat Race & Festival, which was held on Saturday, July 20. The event raised funds for Habitat for Humanity of Dutchess County, a cause with which Marist students have long been involved.

The team of twenty was comprised of Marist community members, including staff and alumni: Tammy Allison ‘15, Haseeb Arroon ‘15, Amanda Benton ‘11, Robert Bostwick, Julie Byron, Jean Defino ’17, Deb DiCaprio, Peter Fagan, Zak Harkenrider ’19, Mike Kagafas ’15, Cathy Martensen ‘84/’92M, Melissa McCarthy ’01/’07M, Patricia Peabody ‘12/’19M, Michael Powers, Julia Rigothi ’17, Aaron Suma, Mitin Sharma ’18, Lisa Whalen, Abby Witczak ’17, and Mario Zeppetelli. Longtime Director of Rowing Tom Sanford prepared the group for the race.

In all, fifteen boats competed in the event across two divisions: community and club. Marist was in the community division and had three races. In their first race of the day, they posted a time of 52.70 seconds, which was the fastest community time of the day and the second-fastest time overall. Because the team had a top-three community time, they moved to the Community Grand Final against two other teams. Ultimately, the results were terrific: In a photo finish, Marist took 2nd by .70 seconds, earning a silver medal.

The Dutchess Dragon Boat Race & Festival first came to Poughkeepsie in 2014 and the College has fielded a team each year.

“I am proud of the Marist community for coming together for this great cause,” said Director of Athletics Tim Murray. “This group values the rich history of rowing at Marist College, the tradition of competition in the Hudson River Valley, and the good work of Habitat for Humanity.”
 

About Dragon Boat Racing

Dragon boat races feature 16 paddlers and one drummer inside a 40-foot wooden boat battling one another on a 200-meter course. The tradition dates back over 2,300 years ago in Southern China. The festival came to Poughkeepsie in 2014. Read more on the history of dragon boat races here.