WINTER PARK, Fla. – With the reigning Sunshine State Conference Rower of the Year Michelle Sosa returning for her sophomore, the Rollins women’s rowing team had every reason to be optimistic for the 2010 season.

In addition to Sosa, senior Kimberly Dirschka returned to help anchor the Tars’ varsity four and eight boats to one of the program’s most successful seasons.  Coxswain Emily Collins teamed up with freshman Molly Broome, who earned a varsity spot before the season started, and sophomore Ashley Franklin to round out the varsity four boat who captured seven-straight victories to open the campaign.  The four culminated their season at the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia, Pa., with a third place medal, the first in over 20 years.

The memorable season began at the Metro Cup on the Tars’ home waters of Lake Maitland.  The event featured cross-town rival UCF, Duquesne and Villanova.  The four set the precedent of the season early as they eased to a three second victory, while the varsity eight (Cox Emily Collins, Molly Broome, Kimberly Dirschka, Michelle Sosa, Ashley Franklin, Randi Alberry, Alia El-Assar, Andrea Micci and Katelin Blaszyk-Perry) registered a second place finish behind Nova.

The Metro Cup was also the first collegiate event for many of the Tar rowers including the novice four (Alexis Csenger, Sarah Harrington, Cassie Martinez, Katelin Blaszyk-Perry, Kathryn Olson).  After shaking off their nerves, the boat competed strong to finish in third place finish to conclude the event.

The Spring Break Race ensued for the rowers as the four again took home the top honors.  The boat from Nova Southeastern did finish a second ahead of Rollins, but were penalized for using the wrong buoys to shorten the course.

In the eight, the Tars secured a fourth place finish, while the novice four clocked in at third.

At the Rollins Invitational, which was also held on Lake Maitland, the third-straight event to be raced on the lake, the Tars ran away with the competition with victories in the varsity and novice four races.  The eight fell victim to a tough Army boat to garner second place honors.

The John Hunter Regatta followed, hosted on Lake Nanier, the 1996 Olympic Rowing Venue.  The varsity four gave an epic performance by posting the best time out of the 20-boat field in their heat and took home the gold in the finale. 

The varsity eight posted the second best time in their heat to set up a highly anticipated match-up against Georgia Tech in the final.  The Tars made a late push, but the Yellow Jackets held onto just enough to edge the Rollins crew.

Rollins then traveled to Clemson, S.C., for the Clemson Sprints the following weekend, which again allowed the Tars a glimpse at different competition.  The four continued its dominance performance cruising in their heat with a six second victory over second place Georgia to ensure a spot into the finals. 

The eight found similar success as a fast start propelled the team and the Tars’ executed the game-plan perfectly to easily defeat the host school, Clemson for the first victory of the season.  The four left no doubt in their final with a decisive 13-second victory to allow the Rollins varsity crews to sweep the event.

The next three weeks proved to be the hardest of the season as the Florida Intercollegiate Rowing Association and the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Associations were on the horizon.  At FIRA, the varsity four were coming off their first Sunshine State Conference Boat of the Week honor as they carried momentum going into the event.

In the nine-entry event, the four couldn’t be denied their sixth-straight victory. Trailing by a foot early,  the Tars shifted gears to gain the lead.  Despite major pushes from Jacksonville and Nova Southeastern, Rollins refused to surrender its lead and claimed the three-second victory.

The four wasted no time at SIRA as they again won their heats to head into the finals.  In the first heat, Rollins downed Emory and Florida Tech, before dominating Nova Southeastern in the semis.  The final was like any other event for the four as they claimed the five-second win with relative ease and were awarded the SSC Boat of the Week for a second time.

After the varsity eight earned a fourth place finish at the SSC Championships, the Dad Vail Regatta remained the final event left on the Tars’ schedule.

The four had high expectations heading into the final and rightfully so, they were riding a seven-event winning streak.  It wouldn’t be easy, as the Tars’ were facing some of the most elite teams of the country.

The four captured a win in their first heat to move into the semifinal.  The semis were pushed up due to windy weather condition, but it wouldn’t falter the Tars’ four.  Trailing at the mid-way point, Rollins remained composed and claimed the win with a three-second finish.  A weather delay postponed the finals, but the Tars still managed to become the first off the line.  Despite their quick lead, the Tars fell to fourth place, but with 500 meters to go, the Tars moved into the medal standing for the first time in over 20 years.

Another remarkable year is in the books for the Tars as Michelle Sosa and Kimberly Dirschka captured SSC All-Conference honors, while Molly Broome was selected to the SSC All-Freshman/Novice Team. 

Sosa also became the first rower since 2007 to earn a spot on the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association All-American Team.  The accolades were completed as Emily Collins, Ashley Franklin and Alia El-Assar were named to the CRCA 2010 Scholar Athletes list.