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POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – In 2002, The Marist College men's crew team swept the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference rowing championships for the second straight season. It was the Red Foxes' fifth program title and second in a stretch of 10 consecutive trophies.

The men finished the event with 120 points, followed by Manhattan and Iona. The Novice Eight boat was victorious followed by the Marist B crew and Fairfield. The Junior Varsity Four won definitively, defeating Iona and Manhattan. The Varsity Four also claimed a win, topping Manhattan and Fairfield while in the Novice Four, the Red Foxes were again victorious, winning easily over Iona and Fairfield. The Red Foxes had a 1-2 finish in the men's Varsity Eight.

After the highly successful MAAC Championships, the team finished second overall at the New York State Collegiate Championships in Whitney Point, NY, second overall in the Avaya Championships after beating nationally ranked Georgetown and Michigan, and the Red Foxes later had a strong showing at the IRA Championships with the Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight and Freshman Four all finishing in the top 15.

In a year marked by so much gain, the program an athletic department suffered a major loss as well. Long-time head coach Scott Sanford passed away at the age of 60. His ties to Dutchess County spanned nearly 40 years as a crew coach, educator, administrator and family man. Scott was the driving force behind the revitalization of the program. Upon his passing, the program was handed down to his son, Tom Sanford. Tom spent one season coaching beside his father, when he served as the men's freshmen coach in 2002.

It was a dream and aspiration of Sanford's for the crew to reach the prestigious Henley Regatta and one the team filled later that summer. The Marist men's varsity 8 reached the semifinals of the 2002 Henley Regatta in Henley-on-Thames, England. The field of 32 crews consisted of eight USA crews, and the Red Foxes' varsity 8 was among the last four standing. It was the first time Marist qualified for the then 150-year-old Regatta. The team made it to the semifinals before losing to Harvard. Harvard and Marist were the last schools remaining from United States in the challenge. This honor marked a highpoint in Marist men's crew history.

To read more about the 2002 Marist men's crew team, please visit our championship history page.
 
Past Marist Mondays
Week One: 2008 Men's Tennis | Week Two: 2014 Women's Swimming & Diving | Week Three: 2015 Men's Lacrosse | Week Four: 1998 Women's Cross Country | Week Five: 2004 Men's Soccer | Week Six: 2013 Women's Tennis