Virginia Wins Overall Championship At Central/South Region Sprints

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May 16, 2004

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The University of Virginia women’s rowing team won the overall championship and the South Region Championship at the Central/South Region Sprints on Sunday (May 16) on Melton Hill Lake. The Cavaliers won championships in both the second varsity eight and the varsity four competitions. UVa crews also finished second in the first varsity eight and the open four, third in the second novice eight and seventh in the first novice eight.

Virginia won the overall championship and the South Region championship with 404 points. Rounding out the top ten in the overall team standings were Ohio State (391), Wisconsin (363), Michigan (362), Michigan State (303), Notre Dame and Tennessee (295), Minnesota (264), Texas (252) and Iowa (209). Tennessee finished second in the South Region standings and Texas was third. Ohio State won the Central Region Championship.

Virginia head coach Kevin Sauer missed Sunday’s competition to be at his son Nick’s graduation from UVa, but he was thrilled with the team’s effort. “I’m very proud of the efforts of all of our crews,” Sauer said. “Everyone did a wonderful job. While I was at graduation I was listening to a play-by-play of events in Tennessee on my cell phone. I called the team after the completion of the regatta to offer my congratulations.”

UVa assistant coach Veronika Platzer said the effort by the various crews on Sunday was a tribute to the program Sauer has built at Virginia.

“It was a fantastic victory and a total team effort,” Platzer said. “Everyone knew that every point mattered and that’s the way they rowed. It is a great day for Virginia rowing and a tribute to the program that Kevin Sauer has built.”

UVa won the A Final of the second varsity eight with a time of 6:44.5 followed by Michigan (6:49.5), Michigan State (6:50.6), Wisconsin (6:50.9), Ohio State (6:51.6) and Minnesota (6:58.8). Virginia’s second varsity eight crew was comprised of coxswain Danielle Sewell, Carolyn McMillan, Julie Creighton, Katie Yrazabal, Kelley Jesnig, Yvonne Epp, Jessica Haury, Mary Dobmeier, and Emily Richard.

The Cavaliers finished first in the A Final of the varsity four with a time of 7:33.1. Wisconsin finished second in 7:37.0 followed by Ohio State (7:38.4), Clemson (7:39.3), Notre Dame (7:44.5) and Michigan (7:45.3). UVa’s varsity four crew was made up of coxswain Launa Forehand, Kerry Maher, Renee Albers, Libby McCann and Ashley Jones.

Virginia’s first varsity eight finished second with a time of 6:37.3. Ohio State won the first varsity eight with a time of 6:34.8. Michigan was third with a time of 6:39.3 followed by Tennessee (6:42.9), Wisconsin (6:43.5) and Texas (6:43.8). The Cavaliers’ first varsity eight crew was comprised of coxswain Betty Shumaker, Jennifer Reck, Lindsay Shoop, Beth Clark, Kathryn Waller, Margaret Matia, Sara Lippa, Genevieve Cauchon-Voyer and Melanie Kok.

Michigan won the open four with a time of 7:42.8 and UVa was second in 7:45.9. Wisconsin finished third in 7:48.5 followed by Notre Dame (7:50.2), Ohio State (7:53.2) and Clemson (8:08.0). Virginia’s open four crew was made up of coxswain Karen Richardson, Crystal MacLeod, Heather Gardner, Abby Lynch and Jennifer Furstenau.

The Cavaliers finished third in the second novice eight with a time of 7:43.2. Wisconsin won the second novice eight in 7:16.1 and Ohio State was second (7:34.4). UVa’s second novice eight crew was comprised of coxswain Victoria Negrete, Laura Plummer, Lauren Fluhart, Lee Watson, Leslie Breen, Maria Takahashi, Carey Davis, Amelia Gunn and Kate Meehan.

Virginia won the B Final in the first novice eight with a time of 7:12.4 to finish seventh overall in that competition. Tennessee was second in the B Final in 7:15.1 followed by Kansas State (7:15.3), Indiana (7:20.1), North Carolina (7:23.5) and Cincinnati (7:31.6). The Cavaliers’ first novice eight crew was made up of coxswain Katie Hilton, Anna Samaha, Laura Elizares, Meredith Danberg-Ficarelli, Annemarie Pitts, Victoria Moore, Kimberly Southern, Kendall Gallagher and Valerie Morini.

The UVa women’s rowing team is in good position to receive an invitation to the NCAA Championships. The NCAA Championships are scheduled for May 28-30 in Rancho Cordova, Calif.