May 1, 2010
BOSTON — The Badgers swept three races when the No. 1 Wisconsin women’s lightweight rowing squad took on No. 4 Radcliffe and No. 7 MIT on a 2,000-meter course in the Charles River basin on Saturday morning.
“Today’s racing went really well,” head coach Erik Miller said. “It was a strong showing for the Badgers, and Radcliffe and MIT were both excellent hosts. It was a great place to come for the weekend. The weather was fantastic. There was almost no wind for the races, and temperatures were around 70 degrees. It was just an ideal morning for racing in Boston.”
UW posted three straight victories, beginning with the varsity eight race. The Badgers clocked a 6:49.1 to defeat second-place Radcliffe (6:58.8), and MIT came in third in 7:15.6. The teams faced a slight headwind in the first race of the day before the second two races took place on nearly perfect water.
“I was excited to see the way that the varsity rowers handled themselves,” Miller said. “Our training has been a little spotty due to the weather, so it was nice to have some great water here this morning. All three crews had good clean starts and seemed to move away steadily throughout the races. We had nice even racing.”
The second varsity eight earned a 19-second victory, finishing in 6:54.3 to defeat Radcliffe (7:13.3) and MIT (7:35.9).
Wisconsin concluded the regatta with a win in the varsity four race. Coxswain Adrienne Winfield, Breanne Lynch, Kate Ludwig, Amanda Montgomery and Erin Wylie finished in 7:42.7 to defeat two Radcliffe boats and MIT.
“I’m happy with our results,” Miller said. “All three crews raced well. We were able to offensively execute parts of the races that we had been working on, and now it’s back to training for a couple weeks before the Eastern Sprints.”
With the Badgers racing as a guest in the Muri Cup, Radcliffe took home the second-annual cup title by defeating MIT in the varsity eight race. The victory also marked the second-straight Muri Cup win for Radcliffe as the team took home the inaugural trophy last season.
The Wisconsin men’s rowing team was also in action on the Charles River on Saturday morning. The Badgers claimed their fifth consecutive Cochrane Cup, defeating Dartmouth in the varsity eight, second varsity eight and the freshmen races, as well as overcoming MIT in the varsity eight.
Next up for the Badger lightweights is the 37th annual Eastern Association of Women’s Rowing Colleges Conference Championships, or the Eastern Sprints, on May 15-16 in Camden, N.J. The Badgers will be in search of their fourth-straight Konrad Ulbrich Trophy and look to defend their lightweight team title.
Results
Varsity Eight
1. Wisconsin 6:49.1; 2. Radcliffe 6:58.8; 3. MIT 7:15.6
UW Lineup: Coxswain Shelly Miller, Dani Dewitt, Katherine Fink, Gabrielle Waclawik, Grace Lautman, Mia Cava, Kaela Erickson, Sarah Padway, Johanna Brady
Second Varsity Eight
1. Wisconsin 6:54.3; 2. Radcliffe 7:13.3; 3. MIT 7:35.9
UW Lineup: Coxswain Daniella Giustina, Meredith Freshley, Hillary Schmidt, Abby Knight, Constance Chucholowski, Jessica Lund, Caroline Mansueti, Gabrielle Read, Helen Beckner
Varsity Four
1. Wisconsin 7:42.7; 2. Radcliffe ‘B’ 8:03.4; 3. Radcliffe ‘A’ 8:16.9; 4. MIT 8:42.6
UW Lineup: Coxswain Adrienne Winfield, Breanne Lynch, Kate Ludwig, Amanda Montgomery, Erin Wylie
