ACC Champions: No. 3 Virginia Rowing Captures 2010 Title
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CLEMSON, S.C. – The third-ranked Virginia rowing team swept every race en route to capturing the team title at the 2010 ACC Championship Saturday on Clemson’s Lake Hartwell. For Virginia rowing, it was its 10th conference title in the 11-year history of the rowing championship, and it marks the 100th ACC Championship in the history of Virginia athletics.
“Our focus was to get the ACC Championship back and the kids did a great job with that,” Virginia head coach Kevin Sauer said. “For us to win our 10th title and the 100th in school history, that is very cool to be part of that. To see kids work so hard for something of substance and then have success is very gratifying as a coach. Hopefully this is a stepping stone as the season continues.”
Virginia won the Varsity Eight (24 points), Second Varsity Eight (18 points), Varsity Four (12 points) and Novice Eight (6 points) to claim the team title with 60 points. Clemson was second with 50 points, followed by Duke with 36 points, Boston College with 26 points, North Carolina with 18 points and Miami with 14 points.
Following the regatta, the ACC announced its postseason awards and Virginia claimed Crew of the Year (Varsity Eight), Coach of the Year (Kevin Sauer) and Freshman of the Year (Kristine O’Brien). In addition, Desiree Burns, Jennifer Cromwell, Nora Phillips, Sidney Thorsten and Helen Tompkins were named to the 2010 All-ACC team.
“I’m so honored,” said ACC Freshman of the Year Kristine O’Brien. “It feels great to win this award and to be in the same company as past UVa winners (Jennifer Cromwell in 2007 and Martha Kuzzy in 2009). I was so excited to race this morning, and it feels great to have the ACC title back.”
In the Varsity Eight race, Virginia’s crew of coxswain Sidney Thorsten, Jennifer Cromwell, Katrin Reinert, Desiree Burns, Kristine O’Brien, Martha Kuzzy, Helen Tompkins, Nora Phillips and Summers Nelson built an early lead and won with a time of 6:34.2. Second-place went to Clemson (6:45.8).
“This was a good win for us,” Varsity Eight member Desiree Burns said. “It’s exciting to finish my senior year with an ACC Championship. We came in with a humble attitude, but we were ready.”
The Second Varsity Eight (coxswain Cristine Candland, Victoria Burke, Lauren Shook, Lauren Hutchins, Marie Long, Keziah Beall, Christine Roper, Claudia Blandford, Inge Janssen) won its race with a time of 6:59.4, besting second-place Clemson’s time of 7:12.2.
“An ACC Championship is never handed to anyone,” Second Varsity Eight member Lauren Shook said. “We had heard this had the potential to be UVa’s 100th-ever ACC Championship, and our coxswain (Cristine Candland) actually made a call for it at the 500-meter mark.”
The Varsity Four of coxswain Sarah Pichardo, MacKenzie Leahy, Hunter Terry, Ruth Retzinger, Sarah Borchelt started off the day with the Cavaliers’ first victory. The crew finished with a first-place time of 7:08.1. Clemson was second (7:19.6).
The Varsity Four’s time broke the ACC Championship record by more than 10 seconds. The prior record was set by the 2008 Varsity Four (7:18.6). The crew also avenged a loss to Clemson’s Varsity Four in last year’s ACC Championship. That Tiger crew also won the 2009 NCAA Championship.
“Today was a good team effort,” Associate Head Coach Steve Pritzker said. “We will certainly work to gain more speed as we enter a challenging time with exams and championship racing. We’re excited to see where our hard work can take us.”
The Novice Eight race was bow ball to bow ball in the beginning, with Virginia and Clemson never able to build a lead until the 750-meter mark. At that point, Virginia moved on the Tigers and held on to win with a time of 6:49.4. Clemson finished second (6:59.3). UVa’s Novice Eight crew is coxswain Erin Friedlander, Erin Metcalf, Allison Lyons, Susanne Grainger, Sandy Suhling, Molly Schwoebel, Ainsley Lastner, Ann Reid and Taylor Levine.
In the exhibition race, Virginia’s Open Four defeated Clemson.
Virginia returns to action on Saturday, May 1, when it hosts Pennsylvania at the Rivanna Reservoir. The race begins at 4 p.m.
2010 ACC Championship
April 24, 2010 | Clemson, S.C. (Lake Hartwell)
Final Team Standings
1. Virginia, 60 points
2. Clemson, 50 points
3. Duke, 36 points
4. Boston College, 26 points
5. North Carolina, 18 points
6. Miami, 14 points
Race Results
Varsity Eight: 1. Virginia (6:34.2), 2. Clemson (6:45.8), 3. Duke (6:56.5), 4. Miami (7:02.6), 5. Boston College (7:05.4), 6. North Carolina (7:22.5)
* (Virginia Line-Up: Sidney Thorsten (c), Jennifer Cromwell, Katrin Reinert, Desiree Burns, Kristine O’Brien, Martha Kuzzy, Helen Tompkins, Nora Phillips, Summers Nelson)
Second Varsity Eight: 1. Virginia (6:59.4), 2. Clemson (7:12.2), 3. Duke (7:23.9), 4. Boston College (7:34.8), 5. North Carolina (7:44.9)
* (Virginia Line-Up: Cristine Candland (c), Victoria Burke, Lauren Shook, Lauren Hutchins, Marie Long, Keziah Beall, Christine Roper, Claudia Blandford, Inge Janssen)
Varsity Four: 1. Virginia (7:08.1), 2. Clemson (7:19.6), 3. Duke (7:40.9), 4. Boston College (7:44.5), 5. North Carolina (7:47.0), 6. Miami (8:11.6)
* (Virginia Line-Up: Sarah Pichardo (c), MacKenzie Leahy, Hunter Terry, Ruth Retzinger, Sarah Borchelt)
Novice Eight: 1. Virginia (6:49.4), 2. Clemson (6:59.3), 3. North Carolina (7:23.7), 4. Boston College (8:14.6)
* (Virginia Line-Up: Erin Friedlander (c), Erin Metcalf, Allison Lyons, Susanne Grainger, Sandy Suhling, Molly Schwoebel, Ainsley Lastner, Ann Reid, Taylor Levine)
Open Four: 1. Virginia (7:25.7), 2. Clemson (7:37.9)
* (Virginia Line-Up: Molly Frear (c), Betsy Nilan, Chelsea Simpson, Lieve Pitts, Caroline Sweeny)
Atlantic Coast Conference Awards
Crew of the Year – Virginia Varsity Eight
Coach of the Year – Kevin Sauer (Virginia)
Rookie of the Year – Kristine O’Brien (Virginia)
All-ACC Team
Megan McMullin, North Carolina (Burke, Va.)
Sarah Medlund, Miami (Melbourne, Australia)
Laura Petty, Boston College (Bethesda, Md.)
Tori Greco, Boston College (Fort Salonga, N.Y.)
Alex Japhet, Duke (Everett, Wash.)
Rory Erickson-Kulas, Duke (Naugatuck, Conn.)
Michelle Nance, Clemson (Simpsonville, S.C.)
Brittany Cummings, Clemson (Virginia Beach, Va.)
Grace Wolff, Clemson (Chanhassen, Minn.)
Jennifer Cromwell, Virginia (Bellvue, Wash.)
Desiree Burns, Virginia (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)
Nora Phillips, Virginia (Arlington, Va.)
Helen Tompkins, Virginia (Friendswood, Tex.)
Sidney Thorsten, Virginia (Atlanta, Ga.)