UB Lightweights Add Four For Next Season

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo rowing team has announced the addition of four student-athletes to its lightweight program for the 2010-11 season.

The four person class is listed below:

Hannah Blackington (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs High School) 
Blackington has rowed for the Saratoga Rowing Association for six years, including five summer seasons. Just recently she has won the New York State Championships in the Senior 4x. Previously, Blackington has won a silver medal in the Jr. B 49kg 8 at the Canadian Schoolboy Championships and a fifth place finish in the U23 Lightweight 4- at the Canadian Henley. She was named Freshmen Captain in 2006 and was a member of the Saratoga Program that biked to the Canadian Henley Regatta in the summer of 2009. Blackington looks to pursue a Communications degree at UB.

Anna Hirt (Ogdensburg, NY/Brockville Collegiate Institute) 
Hirt will join the Bulls after four scholastic seasons and three summer seasons with the Brockville Rowing Club. Hirt was a member of the Women's 8 that took bronze at the 2009 Row Ontario Championships, as well as the Women's 8 that earned a gold medal at the ERA Championship Regatta in 2009. Most recently, Hirt rowed her way to a gold medal finish at the Canadian Schoolboy Championships in the Senior 4+ earlier this month in St. Catherines, Ontario. Hirt plans to study History at UB.

Kate Koscielniak (Lancaster, NY/ Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart) 
Koscielniak has been rowing for the West Side Rowing Club for four years, including three summer seasons. She has earned a gold medal at the New York State Championships four straight years in row. She has also won gold at the Head of the Genesee and the Head of the Schuylkill in 2008. Koscielniak has qualified and participated in three Youth National Championships and in 2008 won the bronze medal. She has also been a USRowing Honorable Mention and is ranked in the Top 10 of her class. Koscielniak looks to pursue a Speech Pathology degree at UB.

Barbara Prescott (Niskayuna, NY/ Niskayuna High School) 
Prescott has been rowing for Niskayuna for five years, including both scholastic and summer seasons. She has earned gold in the women's single at the Head of the Mohawk in 2007 and 2009. In addition, Prescott has won gold in the women's quad at the Empire State Games in 2007. Prescott joins the Bulls looking to pursue a degree in Biomedical Sciences at UB.