April 14, 2008

North Carolina Earns Success At Knecht Cup

CAMDEN, N.J. - Led by the novice eight's first-place finish, the North Carolina rowing team saw all six of its boats place in the top 12 overall in a large field at the Knecht Cup Saturday and Sunday on the Cooper River.

"Across the board, it was an absolutely great weekend for Carolina rowing," UNC coach Sarah Haney said. "We saw a lot of improvement this weekend from the last time we raced a couple of weeks ago. All the boats advanced into the finals, which was great, and all the boats definitely showed that they took the things we've been working on the past couple of weeks and all season and applied them."

The novice eight won all three of its races on the weekend, taking first in its heat and semifinal on Saturday and in the grand final on Sunday in 7:05.05 to best a field of 24 boats. Racing in the Tar Heel novice eight were Jill Lunsford (coxswain), Paige Wolf, Katherine Williamson, Anna Noguchi, Cait Clendenin, Katie Frayler, Lindsay Paterniti, Vanessa Matos and Tallie Casucci.

The UNC second varsity eight finished third overall in an 18-boat field. The Tar Heels were second in their Saturday heat to advance to the semifinals that afternoon, where they took third to earn a spot in Sunday's grand final. A time of 6:57.9 put UNC third in the final. Carolina's second varsity eight lineup was Paige Wall (coxswain), Diane Reynolds, Chandler Sours, Andi Drabot, Andrea McGovern, Katie Wood, JoAnne Rogers, Kelsey Grich and Kristi Roblin.

No. 3 Virginia Completes Virginia Invitational With Four Victories

LAKE MONTICELLO, Va. - The No. 3-ranked Virginia rowing team wrapped up action at the Virginia Invitational with four victories over Oregon State on Sunday at Lake Monticello. The Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight, Varsity Four and Novice Eight rowed to wins over the Beavers.

UVa's Varsity Eight (Coxswain Caitlin Mixter, Jennifer Cromwell, Rebecca Ryall, Lauren Hutchins, Kelsie Chaudoin, Desiree Burns, Augustra Stratos, Bridget Wandelt and Katrin Sydlik), finished with a time of 6:17.8, defeating OSU's time of 6:26.3. So far this season, the Varsity Eight has lost just one race, to top-ranked California.

"They're racing well," head coach Kevin Sauer said. "I'm looking for them to continue to get better, be challenged and continue doing a good job."

Virginia's Second Varsity Eight (Coxswain Mary Eddy, Amanda Chase, Marie Long, Bridget Fowler, Christine Roper, Helen Tompkins, Annie Bohlen, Claudia Blandford, Lauren Shook) also won its race against Oregon State.

The Cavaliers rowed to a first-place finish with a time of 6:34.0, compared to OSU's time of 6:38.4.

No. 3 Cavaliers Win Seven On Day One Of Virginia Invitational

LAKE MONTICELLO, Va. - Seven first-place finishes in eight varsity races by No. 3 UVa highlighted the first day of the Virginia Invitational Saturday at Lake Monticello. The Cavaliers won three out of four varsity races against No. 7 Michigan State in the morning and followed up with a sweep of Wisconsin in the afternoon.

UVa's Varsity Eight (Coxswain Caitlin Mixter, Jennifer Cromwell, Rebecca Ryall, Lauren Hutchins, Kelsie Chaudoin, Desiree Burns, Augustra Stratos, Bridget Wandelt and Katrin Sydlik), named ACC Crew of the Week for the second-straight time earlier this week, earned two more victories against opponents listed in the Top 25.

Against No. 7 Michigan State, Virginia earned the win with a time of 6:22.1 compared to the Spartans' 6:27.1.

In the afternoon vs. Wisconsin, which is receiving votes in the latest national poll, UVa (6:30.8) won in impressive fashion, opening up a 13-second lead on the Badgers (6:43.2) while crossing the finish line.