No. 3 Virginia Rowing Wins Both Its Races at San Diego Crew Classic

Story Links

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The third-ranked Virginia rowing team won both races it competed in at the San Diego Crew Classic on Sunday (March 28). UVa’s Varsity Eight finished first and won the Jessop-Whittier Cup, while the Second Varsity Eight claimed the Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Trophy with a first-place finish.

UVa’s Third Varsity Eight finished fourth in the grand final for the Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Trophy to round out the Cavaliers’ competition at the event.

The Varsity Eight of coxswain of Sidney Thorsten, Jennifer Cromwell, Summers Nelson, Desiree Burns, Katrin Reinert, Martha Kuzzy, Kristine O’Brien, Nora Phillips and Helen Tompkins won the race with a time of 6:34.20. Second-place went to 10th-ranked USC with a time of 6:37.48, followed by UCLA (6:41.95), No. 16 Washington State (6:44.06), No. 14 Harvard (6:53.33) and Grand Valley (6:58.20).

The Varsity Eight got off to a quick start and led the entire race, increasing its lead as the race went on. The crew was 2-0 at the San Diego Crew Classic, as the Cavaliers won their heat Saturday to advance to the grand final.

Virginia’s Second Varsity Eight (coxswain Sarah Pichardo, Victoria Burke, Marie Long, Keziah Beall, Lauren Hutchins, Lauren Shook, Christine Roper, Claudia Blandford, Inge Janssen) was victorious and claimed the Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Trophy with a time of 6:50.00. USC finished in second place with a time of 6:50.25, followed by Washington State (6:53.00), Virginia’s Third Varsity Eight (6:54.89), UCLA (6:57.07) and Harvard (6:59.54).

USC led that race at the 1,000-meter mark, but Virginia gained ground in a back-and-forth race and nipped the Trojans in the end by a quarter of a second.

The Third Varsity Eight of Virginia was comprised of coxswain Cristine Candland, MacKenzie Leahy, Betsy Nilan, Cara Linnenkohl, Sarah Borchelt, Ruth Retzinger, Francesca Lauritano, Chelsea Simpson and Marelle Myers.

“This was a big trip for us, coming all the way out to California,” Virginia head coach Kevin Sauer said. “Our crews performed well and it was a great event. The team stepped up to come away with two wins. It was awesome.”

Virginia is back in action next weekend when it hosts No. 9 Michigan and No. 10 Ohio State on Saturday, April 3, at Lake Monticello. The regatta begins at 9 a.m.

San Diego Crew Classic
March 28, 2010
Jessop-Whittier Cup Grand Final (Varsity Eight): 1. Virginia (6:34.20), 2. USC (6:37.48), 3. UCLA (6:41.95), 4. Washington State (6:44.06), 5. Harvard (6:53.33), 6. Grand Valley (6:58.20)
* (Virginia Line-up: Coxswain Sidney Thorsten, Jennifer Cromwell, Summers Nelson, Desiree Burns, Katrin Reinert, Martha Kuzzy, Kristine O’Brien, Nora Phillips and Helen Tompkins)
Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Grand Final (Second Varsity Eight): 1. Virginia ‘A’ (6:50.00), 2. USC (6:50.25), 3. Washington State (6:53.00), 4. Virginia ‘B’ (6:54.89), 5. UCLA (6:57.07), 6. Harvard (6:59.54)
* (Virginia ‘A’ Line-up: Coxswain Sarah Pichardo, Victoria Burke, Marie Long, Keziah Beall, Lauren Hutchins, Lauren Shook, Christine Roper, Claudia Blandford, Inge Janssen)
* (Virginia ‘B’ Line-up: Coxswain Cristine Candland, MacKenzie Leahy, Betsy Nilan, Cara Linnenkohl, Sarah Borchelt, Ruth Retzinger, Francesca Lauritano, Chelsea Simpson and Marelle Myers)
—
March 27, 2010
Jessop-Whittier Cup Heat A: 1. Virginia (6:39.00), 2. Washington State (6:44.00), 3. UCLA (6:44.97), 4. Villanova (7:17.22)
Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Trophy Heat A: 1. Virginia ‘B’ (6:56.41), 2. USC (6:56.72), 3. Sacramento State (7:15.94), 4. UC Davis (7:30.47), 5. Kansas State (7:36.97)
Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Trophy Heat B: 1. Virginia ‘A’ (7:02.8), 2. UCLA (7:07.23), 3. SMU (7:22.89), 4. San Diego (7:23.81), 5. Oklahoma (7:26.55).