POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – Of the many moments captured from Marist Women's Rowing 2019 MAAC Championship, two iconic photos came from the Class of 2019. The first came from Kerriann Ernenwein, '19 raising her arms in the air fresh off the Varsity 8+ Grand Final. The other was when Clodagh Deasy, '19 came onto the dock to embrace one of her teammates.
 
The 2019 title, Marist's first in six years and 11^th in program history, is an everlasting memory for the Red Foxes. For the Class of 2020, then juniors at the time, the group had a chance to make more history in its senior season by becoming the first class since 2008 to win multiple conference championships.
 
Like the rest of the spring sports at Marist and across the nation, that chance for an encore will never come as the COVID-19 outbreak has canceled the 2020 season.
 
The initial shock came just as the Red Foxes were preparing for their spring training trip in Clemson, South Carolina. The boats were already on their way, passing through Washington, D.C. when the news broke. As the 2020 MAAC Preseason unanimous favorites gathered to reconcile with the declaration, the focus shifted more towards the fond times each senior experienced.
 
"Individually, and as a group, these seniors have been a pleasure to work with for the last four years," said Head Coach and Director of Rowing Tom Sanford. "They have led their team by example each day, and the team has made steady progress over the course of their careers. The team's intention and goal of a repeat performance of last spring's MAAC Championship and a return to the NCAA Championship this spring had the team motivated and moving very well. It is gut-wrenching to our staff that these five seniors will be unable to achieve what they and the team set out to do."
 
Below is an account from the senior class on their favorite memories as Red Foxes, and their postgraduate plans.
 

SYDNEY FORD

Accolades: 2019 MAAC Champion – Varsity 8 Fifth Seat, 2019 All-MAAC First Team selection, Two-time MAAC All-Academic Team selection
Sydney Ford is from Bedford, New Hampshire. She majors in Communications, with concentrations in advertising and public relations, and minors in psychology. She was also a co-captain this season. She plans to continue training for the U23 National Team, attend graduate school and eventually land a paying job in the marketing department of an athletic brand. Her favorite memory was winning the MAAC Championship last spring and competing at the NCAA Championship.
"The strength and trust we had built with one another every practice and race leading up to that day translated into a sense of calm confidence throughout the whole team. Overall, it was an amazing experience and I feel overwhelmingly grateful to have been a part of it."
 

SHAWNA GILSON

Accolades: 2019 MAAC Champion – Second Varsity 8 Stroke Seat
Shawna Gilson is from Middletown, Connecticut with a major in Business/Human Resources and a minor in Psychology. She was a co-captain this season. Her favorite memory by far was winning the MAAC last spring, and gaining the second NCAA automatic qualifier in Marist Women's Rowing history.
"It was so gratifying to see all the hard work pay off at MAACs, not to mention competing at the NCAAs was such an amazing experience. Coming off last spring, it was so cool to see how everyone was so motivated to work hard and do it all over again."
 

ELISABETH KAMM

Accolades: 2019 MAAC Champion –Varsity 8 Seventh Seat, Two-time MAAC All-Academic Team selection
Elisabeth Kamm, or "Mimi", is a Biology Major from Tampa, Florida who will be an EMT until admitted to PA school. Her favorite memory was winning the MAAC Championship and going to the NCAA in the spring of 2019.
 

ISABELLE KOCH

Accolades: 2019 MAAC Champion – Second Varsity 8 Coxswain, Two-time MAAC All-Academic Team selection
Isabelle Koch, or "Izzy", hails from Deerfield, New Hampshire, and majored in Psychology with minors in Biology and Cognitive Science. Her original postgraduate plan to work as an au pair in Australia for one year has been delayed, but her career plan remains on schedule: to attend graduate school for a degree in Speech and Language Pathology a year from now. Her favorite memory of Marist crew was when Men's Rowing Assistant Coach Josh Stratton held up the No. 1 finger as he walked toward her after the 2018 Head of the Charles victory in the Club 4.
 
 

MORGAN ZUCH

Accolades: Varsity 4 Second Seat at 2019 MAAC Championship, Two-time MAAC All-Academic Team selection
Morgan Zuch is from Bay Shore, New York, and is double majoring in Psychology and Special Education. Morgan will be returning to Marist as a graduate student seeking a Master's in Educational Psychology which she will use to further help children battling cancer through education and psychology.
"As a cancer survivor, I was isolated from the world at a young age including education and socialization. Realizing this, my parents created the The Morgan Center, a nonprofit pre-school program for children with cancer in my honor. I am excited to get involved by becoming a teacher at The Morgan Center. My favorite memory from my 4 years at Marist was winning the MAAC Championship and going to the NCAA. It was an incredible feeling that all the hard work we put in brought us to such a rewarding accomplishment."
 

THE FUTURE

As challenging as it is to write about a season that never materialized, it is even more difficult for the seniors and the team to move from this phase, with so much uncertainty around the world and collegiate athletics still present due to COVID-19. The intense preparation from the fall and winter will ultimately have to carry over to September.
 
Though the Class of 2020 won't have the chance to repeat as MAAC Champions, there are the memories of the 2019 title and other team moments that have fulfilled their Marist experience. And for Coach Sanford, their contributions at least keep him optimistic for the next time the Red Foxes hit the water.
 
"I know that because of these seniors, the rising sophomores, juniors and seniors now know what it takes to win the MAAC, and will lead by example to guide the incoming class as they begin their collegiate careers."
 
Senior Spotlights: Women's Tennis (March 23) | Men's Tennis (March 25) | Women's Lacrosse (March 30) | Baseball (April 1) | Water Polo (April 2) | Softball (April 3) | Men's Rowing (April 7) | Men's Lacrosse | Men's Track and Field