A STROKE OF FORTUNE
Menegakis making waves for women's varsity crew
Northeastern women's crew coach Carie Graves was desperate. Her 1995 team was suffering through a miserable season, ranked fourteenth out of fifteen eastern schools. After defeating Boston College early in the season, the Huskies went into a long, winless slump. Graves decided to do the unthinkable: put an untested freshman in the crucial stroke seat.
Elena Menegakis wasted little time making her presence felt. In her first race in the stroke seat, she and her teammates surprised crosstown rival Boston University by three seconds, marking the first win over the Terriers in eight years. More wins followed, and an impressive fifth-place finish at the Eastern Sprints vaulted the Huskies to fifth in the rankings. Two years later, Menegakis and the Huskies are flying high, awaiting the start this spring of what they feel will be one of their finest seasons ever.
"We were going nowhere," recalls Graves, who enters her ninth season at Northeastern. "Elena had demonstrated the abilities to handle the stroke, so I took a chance. It wasn't about talent-it was experience that I was worried about. She handled it like a seasoned rower." Menegakis, a middler majoring in elementary education and human services, remembers the BU race like it was yesterday. "I was a little nervous as we prepared for the race," she says. "I remember Carie coming over to me and asking how I felt. She asked if I was ready and she gave me a hug. When she did that, I settled down immediately. I figured that if she had enough confidence in me to put me there, then I must be able to handle it."
Menegakis hasn't relinquished the stroke seat since, leading the Huskies to a repeat fifth-place finish at last year's Eastern Sprints. Both Graves and Menegakis are confident that N.U. can improve on those numbers this year. Adding to their excitement is the inclusion of women's crew as an NCAA varsity sport. The top crews in the country will meet in late May in Sacramento, California, to battle for the national title. Graves hopes that with Menegakis leading the way, the Huskies will be among the teams competing.
Menegakis was serious about crew long before she arrived at Northeastern. After participating for one of the few public high school crews, at Shrewsbury (Massachusetts) High School, she read an article about Olympic medalist Ann Marden, who comes from Concord, Massachusetts. Menegakis wrote Marden looking for advice. What she received in return was much more.
"I basically told her that I was sixteen years old and that it was my dream to row in the Olympics just like her," Menegakis says. "I called her parents' house after getting the number out of the phone book and they put me in touch with her in England. She was excited about my enthusiasm and has become my mentor. She designed training programs for me and took me to the Head of the Charles [Regatta in Cambridge] in 1993. While we were there, she introduced me to coaches at the local schools-Radcliffe, BU, and Northeastern. Shortly after that, I decided to come here. I couldn't say exactly why, but I told my father that I had to come here."
Marden, who works as a financial consultant in England, continues to speak with her protégée every couple of weeks. "No matter what she's doing, she'll drop everything when I call," Menegakis says. "She has meant so much to me. She directs me toward the resources that I need to succeed. She gives me incentive to go after my dream."
Graves, a three-time Olympian in her own right, recalls meeting Menegakis and walking away very impressed. "Our novice coach actually saw her before I did and set up a visit," says Graves. "I remember meeting her and saying, 'So I hear you're coming here, we can't wait to have you.' Her relationship with Ann has definitely helped her progress."
With two former Olympians behind her, Menegakis has her sights set on the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia. She was a member of the National Team last summer, and, according to Graves, has legitimate Olympic potential. "She is a tremendous leader and among the most talented rowers I've ever worked with. She has the drive to be an Olympian, and I believe she can make it happen," says Graves, who won gold and silver medals as a member of the 1976, '80, and '84 U.S. Olympic teams.
The sport of crew is unlike most others. The intensity and individuality of the physical effort requires a self-motivation not often found. Menegakis has an athletic, five-foot seven-inch, 170-pound frame, but what lies beneath the surface is equally important. "Crew is a very physical sport, but it is also very mental," she says. "It gets frustrating when my focus isn't as sharp as I would like. That's the challenge-to keep focused in an effort to improve all the time."
A typical day for Menegakis starts with a 5:30 a.m. practice and a trip to the rowing tanks in the bowels of Cabot Gym. Weight training, varied workouts on the ergometer machines, and afternoon jogs are all part of her routine. She watches her diet carefully. The sacrifice is balanced by her enjoyment of the sport. "You always have to remember how much you enjoy it," she says. "There are plenty of times when I ask myself, 'What are you doing this for?' What you have to do is try to get the most out of every workout."
Menegakis's example has not been lost on her teammates. She was voted the team's most inspirational member each of her two seasons and will captain the Huskies this year.
-Paul Perillo
MEN'S HOCKEY
Beanpot proves microcosm of men's ice hockey season
Bruce Crowder is no longer a Beanpot outsider. Although he arrived in New England in 1976 to begin a successful career playing and coaching hockey, the new Northeastern coach had never been to the legendary contest-until this year. "I've been in this area for twenty years and nobody's ever invited me to the Beanpot," Crowder joked at the pretournament luncheon at the FleetCenter. "I guess I won't need tickets to get in this year."
By the tournament's end, Crowder may have wished he'd waited another year to attend. In the first round, played on February 3, N.U. lost 41 in a hard-fought game against Boston College. The consolation game with Harvard, played February 10, brought some measure of satisfaction, however, as the Huskies rolled 20. Northeastern last won the tournament in 1988.
The two games were a microcosm of the 199697 season for the Huskies, who dropped to 7202 with the Beanpot split. Crowder watched his team fight valiantly many times during the course of this disappointing campaign, only to wind up a little short. Through mid-February, nine of the team's losses were by one goal. In the Beanpot game against BC, the teams were tied 11 going into the third period. "We executed within the system for about forty-seven minutes, then we lost our composure a bit after BC scored their second goal," Crowder says. "It seemed that everything we had practiced all week went out the window at that point."
The final buzzer of the first-round game ended N.U. captain Rick Schuhwerk's hopes of winning a Beanpot. The senior from Hingham, Massachusetts, bent forward in front of his net, his stick resting on his knees, his body language displaying the dejection of four years of Beanpot frustration and a final season full of bitter defeats. "We were really prepared for this tournament," Schuhwerk says. "Coach Crowder has done some great things here already that people will see in the upcoming years. I just wish I had four more years to play for him."
That optimism seems to be the consensus when Crowder's name comes up. From players to rival coaches, all are in agreement: give Crowder time and he'll give the fans a winner. Crowder was named national college hockey coach of the year in 1996 for his work at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. With a roster of eleven freshmen and seven sophomores, N.U.'s found its nemesis this season to have been inexperience. Key injuries, particularly to the defensive corps, have also played a big role.
"You have to play with what you're dealt," says Crowder of his roster problems. "It's not like I can call Jerry [BC coach York] or Jack [BU coach Parker] and make a trade for the playoffs. We need some experience and seniors who have gone through this before. Right now, we're not quite sure what to expect. We'll make it through this, though."
Despite the string of close losses, effort has remained a constant for the Huskies. It's the only thing Crowder will accept from his players. "Motivation hasn't been a problem at any point this season," he says.
- Paul Perillo
