UVA Places Fifth at NCAA Rowing Championships
May 26, 2018
SARASOTA, Fla. – Virginia’s Second Varsity Eight rowed to a third-place finish as the No. 7 Cavaliers finished fifth in the team standings at the NCAA Championships Saturday (May 26) at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Fla.
Virginia’s Varsity Eight and Varsity Four each finished seventh as the finals were moved from Sunday morning to Saturday afternoon due to subtropical storm Alberto. Saturday’s finals were held under warm and rainy conditions.
California won the event with 130 points and Washington placed second with 128 points. Texas placed third with 115 points, followed by Stanford and Virginia with 104 points each. Stanford won the tiebreaker over Virginia with its fourth-place finish in the Varsity Eight. Ohio State (101), Michigan (95), Yale (93), Princeton (92) and Brown (70) completed the top-10.
“It’s truly amazing to finish up tied for fourth in the points standings from where we’ve been this year and last year,” head coach Kevin Sauer said. “I credit this team and its resiliency. We really came through in the finals. We thought we might have a shot at placing fourth or fifth if we won both petites and medaling in the 2V8, and that’s exactly what we did.”
UVA’s Second Varsity Eight battled the entire race, holding off Michigan 6:28.264-6:28.576 to earn its podium finish. Washington won the race at 6:21.081 followed by California (6:27.201), Virginia, Michigan, Texas (6:30.519) and Yale (6:37.854).
“I am really proud of the 2V8,” Sauer added. “They showed a lot of grit to get to the podium.”
In the Varsity Eight petite final, the Cavaliers led wire-to-wire in a gutsy effort. UVA held off USC in the final 500 meters and clocked in with a winning time of 6:28.633. USC (6:29.138) was followed by Yale (6:30.866), Michigan (6:30.981), Iowa (6:35.501) and Indiana (6:44.318).
“Grit, a very blue-collar effort,” Sauer said of the Varsity Eight. “They had four races in 29 hours. Nobody did that at that level this weekend. It was truly an amazing effort.”
The Varsity Four led wire-to-wire in the petite final to place seventh overall with a time of 7:14.594. Stanford placed second at 7:19.281 followed by Brown (7:20.449), Indiana (7:21.549), Washington State (7:25.947) and Iowa (7:33.197).
“The V4 did a great job as well,” Sauer said. “They won the petite final going away.”
The NCAA Rowing Championships marked the final collegiate regatta for UVA seniors Alice Darry (West Melton, N.Z.), Adi Hendlin (Tallahassee, Fla.), Mary Beth Greer (Wilton, Conn.), Jane Hudson (Sandy, Utah), Morgan Rosts (Jordan, Ontario), Ellie Stewart (London, England) and Ali Zwicker (Victoria, British Columbia).
Final Team Standings
1. California — 130
2. Washington — 128
3. Texas — 115
4. Stanford — 104
5. Virginia — 104
6. Ohio State — 101
7. Michigan — 95
8. Yale — 93
9. Princeton — 92
10. Brown — 70
11. Iowa — 69
12. USC — 67
13. Indiana — 60
14. Washington State — 57
15. Wisconsin — 52
16. Syracuse — 52
17. Navy — 31
18. Gonzaga — 30
19. Northeastern — 26
20. UCF — 22
21. Rhode Island — 14
22. Jacksonville — 6
Varsity Eight A/B Semifinal
1. California, 6:19.608; 2. Washington, 6:21.286; 3. Ohio State, 6:27.746; 4. Iowa, 6:28.326; 5. Virginia, 6:37.066; 6. Indiana, 6:59.021.
Second Varsity Eight A/B Semifinal
1. California, 6:33.719; 2. Virginia, 6:35.818; 3. Yale, 6:37.451; 4. Ohio State, 6:40.188; 5. Brown, 6:45.633; 6. Iowa, 6:46.853.
Varsity Four A/B Semifinal
1. Washington, 7:06.152; 2. Ohio State, 7:12.389; 3. Michigan, 7:14.035; 4. Virginia, 7:18.175; 5. Brown, 7:27.565; 6. Iowa, 7:40.332.
Varsity Eight Petite Final
1. Virginia, 6:28.633; 2. USC, 6:29.138; 3. Yale, 6:30.866; 4. Michigan, 6:30.981; 5. Iowa, 6:35.501; 6. Indiana, 6:44.318.
Second Varsity Eight Grand Final
1. Washington, 6:21.081; 2. Cal, 6:27.201. 3. Virginia, 6:28.264. 4. Michigan, 6:28.576; 5. Texas, 6:30.519; 6. Yale, 6:37.854.
Varsity Four Petite Final
1. Virginia, 7:14.594; 2. Stanford, 7:19.281; 3. Brown, 7:20.449; 4. Indiana, 7:21.549; 5. Washington State, 7:25.947; 6. Iowa, 7:33.197.
Virginia Lineups
Varsity Eight
Coxswain: Izzi Weiss; Stroke: Heidi Long; 7: Emily Ashton; 6: Jane Hudson; 5: Georgia Gray; 4. Sophie Pennoyer; 3: Ellie Stewart; 2: Ali Zwicker; Bow: Alice Darry
Second Varsity Eight
Coxswain: Adi Hendlin; Stroke: Isabella Strickler; 7: Reilly White; 6: Christina Berchtold; 5: Anna Fairs; 4: Alex Slabbert; 3: Martine van den Boomgaard; 2: Morgan Rosts; Bow: Carrie Warner
Varsity Four
Coxswain: Maria Zeris; 4: Star Davidson; 3: Hannah Watson; 2: Toni Wiersma; Bow: Mary Beth Greer