The Canisius College rowing team claimed its fourth conference honor this season, as the Varsity Eight was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Crew of the Week on Tuesday afternoon. The Golden Griffins' Varsity Eight finished the spring season undefeated against MAAC opponents in four races.

"We're thrilled to have the conference recognize the weekly accomplishments of the varsity eight," said head coach Joel Furtek. "I'm proud of the way both eights raced on Saturday and look forward to them showing their true speed this weekend at the MAAC Championship. We've taken this season one week at a time and continue to do so."

The Griffs' Varsity Eight collected its seventh win over a MAAC crew with a solid victory over MAAC affiliate Robert Morris at the Black Rock Cup along the Black Rock Canal on April 20. In the final race of the day, the Golden Griffins' Varsity Eight completed the sweep of Robert Morris to capture the Black Rock Cup. The Griffs finished the day with over a 25-second lead against the Colonials in the head-to-head race, posting a time of 7:57.95 to the Colonials' time of 8:23.69.

The win gave the Varsity Eight its second over Robert Morris this year, including a win at the Knecht Cup. Through four spring races, the Griffs captured conference wins over Marist, Loyola and Jacksonville, while posting a pair of wins over both Fairfield and the Colonials.

The Varsity Eight included sophomore Liz Reinwald, senior Monica Klenk, freshman Nora Kennon, senior Bridget Laszewski, junior Liz McKinney, junior Nancy Kennish, senior Stephanie SanFilipo, junior Lynna Paradiso and freshman coxswain Hannah Blum.

The Blue and Gold continue their preparation for the MAAC Rowing Championships on April 26-27 in West Windsor, N.J. The MAAC recently announced the seedings for the conference championships with the Varsity Eight entering as the top seed, the Second Varsity Eight as the third seed, and the Varsity Four as the eighth seed.