No. 1 Virginia Wins 12th ACC Championship

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CLEMSON, S.C.-In front of an ACC Rowing Championship record crowd of approximately 1,100 fans, the No. 1 Virginia rowing team came from behind and won the final three races to capture the ACC Championship Saturday (April 21) on Lake Hartwell in Clemson S.C. With the win, UVa won its third straight and 12th overall conference crown in the 13-year history of the regatta.

“It was a great team win today!” head coach Kevin Sauer said. “Our Varsity Eight continues to push their limits and the 2V8 and Novice Eight also had good races.”

Virginia finished with 56 points, followed by Clemson (52), Duke (39), Boston College (27), North Carolina (18) and Miami (17).

The first Varsity Eight was named ACC Crew of the Year and head coach Kevin Sauer was honored as the ACC Coach of the Year for the eighth time.

The 1V8 crew consists of coxswain Sidney Thorsten (Atlanta, Ga.), Keziah Beall (Bainbridge Island, Wash.), Martha Kuzzy (Minneapolis, Minn.), Kristine O’Brien (Massapequa Park, N.Y.), Sarah Cowburn (Reddicth, Worcestershire, England), Fiona Schlesinger (New Malden, Surrey, England), Susanne Grainger (London, Ontario) Hemingway Benton (Glencoe, Ill.) and Carli Goldberg (Sarasota, Fla.).

Thorsten, Beall, Kuzzy, O’Brien and Cowburn were named to the All-ACC Rowing Team.

In the first V8, the Cavaliers jumped out to an early lead and had cleared open water over the Tigers by the 900-meter mark. UVa finished in a time of 6:27.9 over the Tigers’ time of 6:38.6.

Virginia captured the second Varsity Eight race in a time of 6:43.3. The Cavaliers and Tigers were close throughout the first 500 meters, before UVa pulled away.

The Novice Eight won in a time of 6:53.8, ahead of Clemson who crossed the line in 7:05.4. In the first race of the day, the Cavalier first Varsity Four finished third in a time of 7:47.1 behind winner Clemson (7:37.9) and Duke (7:46.6).

“Clearly, we are starting to make progress with the second Varsity Eight,” associate head coach Steve Pritzker said. “We’ll need to reset the 4’s a bit, but the team is continuing to make strides toward our eventual goal.”

In an exhibition race, Virginia’s second Varsity Four ‘A’ boat won in a time of 7:36.8 over Clemson (7:49.9) and UVa’s 2V4 ‘B’ boat (7:57.9).

UVa has now won 47 of the 52 races ever competed at the ACC Championships, which were started in 2000.

The Cavaliers return to action April 28 when they travel to Columbus, Ohio to face Ohio State, Michigan and Harvard.

Virginia Lineups:

First Varsity Eight: Coxswain Sidney Thorsten, Keziah Beall, Martha Kuzzy, Kristine O’Brien, Sarah Cowburn, Fiona Schlesinger, Susanne Grainger, Hemingway Benton and Carli Goldberg

Second Varsity Eight: Coxswain Molly Frear, MacKenzie Leahy, Carolyn Glandorf, Ruth Retzinger, Chandler Lally, Elle Murray, Kaitlin Fanikos, Morgan Joseph, Sarah Borchelt

First Varsity Four: Coxswain Christie Candland, Kaity McCullough, Fransesca Lauritano, Liza Tullis, Emly Pik

Novice Eight: Coxswain Hayley LaFleche, Chloe Carry, Andie McPartland, Lexie Katz, Hannah Yoest, Katie Hillson, Veronica Jones, Emily Crump, Caroline Burke

Second Varsity Four ‘A’: Coxswain Sarah Jordan, Marelle Myers, Chelsea Simpson, Terry Hunter, Lizzy Youngling

Second Varsity Four ‘B’: Coxswain Sarah Shanfield, Betsy Nilan, Ann Reid, Catherine Multari, Julia Truelove