April 15, 2012
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Lightweight Eight: Final
| | 1. | Wisconsin A | 6:33.98 | | 2. | Bucknell | 6:36.91 | | 3. | Princeton A | 6:46.10 | | 4. | Georgetown A | 6:52.18 | | 5. | Wisconsin B | 7:00.97 | | 6. | Buffalo | 7:03.88 | | Varsity Eight: Grand Final
| | 1. | Duke | 6:25.69 | | 2. | Bucknell | 6:26.98 | | 3. | Buffalo | 6:34.78 | | 4. | Wisconsin | 6:39.10 | | 5. | Boston College | 6:40.01 | | 6. | Dayton | 6:47.12 | | Second Varsity Eight: Petite Final
| | 1. | UMass | 6:53.84 | | 2. | Dayton | 6:55.52 | | 3. | Wisconsin | 6:57.36 | | 4. | Temple | 7:00.46 | | 5. | Buffalo | 7:01.33 | | 6. | Trinity | 7:13.53 | | Novice Eight: Grand Final
| | 1. | Wisconsin | 7:01.10 | | 2. | Drexel | 7:06.58 | | 3. | Kansas | 7:06.88 | | 4. | Delaware | 7:11.18 | | 5. | Boston College | 7:22.54 | | 6. | North Carolina | 7:27.28 | | |
MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin women's lightweight rowing team concluded an impressive weekend, winning two races at the Knecht Cup Sunday, while racing in three grand finals and one petite final in Cherry Hill, N.J.
After sending five of its six entries to the finals the day before, all three of Wisconsin's boats raced at least once Sunday after racing three times each on Saturday.
The first and second varsity eight raced twice, while the novice eight raced once, winning the women's heavyweight novice eight race.
| Fast Facts | | • Varsity and novice eight claim victories in the finals | | • Five of Wisconsin's entries raced in the finals | |
The first and second varsity eight began the day in the women's lightweight eight race, after qualifying both boats in the heats on Saturday. Wisconsin's first eight claimed victory in the six-team final, winning with a time of 6:33.98. Second-place Bucknell got out to an early lead, but the Badgers were able to fight back and get even with the Bison at the halfway point. UW used a strong finish to win by a boat's length.
The Badgers' second eight finished fifth with a time of 7:00.97.
"I was really happy to see the performance of the two crews," Wisconsin head coach Erik Miller said. "It was nice to see, after three tough races yesterday, the top boat to find another gear, and it shows the team is progressing nicely and coming together."
In the women's novice eight race, the lightweight Badgers were racing against their heavyweight counterparts, though they proved they were up to the task. Wisconsin's first-year rowers breezed through the competition, winning by 5.48 seconds over Drexel, finishing in 7:01.10.
"The novice eight today was fantastic, winning that easily," Miller said. "It's really exciting to see, with six rowers who had never touched an oar before the year began, that group go out and compete against more experienced and bigger athletes. They did a fantastic job and were really impressive all weekend long."
The first and second varsity eight each had another race, after earning spots in the women's varsity eight grand final and women's second varsity eight petite final, respectively. Like the novice squad, the two lightweight crews were racing in a heavyweight event, and both were competing in their fifth and final race of the weekend.
The first eight advanced to the grand final after a first-place finish in the heat and semifinal Saturday. Already advancing past 25 other crews, the Badgers finished fourth, with a time of 13.41. Duke edged Bucknell for first place, 13.41 seconds ahead of UW.
"We made fantastic progress," Miller said. "They had five really tough races and put up some consistent times. They worked really hard all winter long and they showed we can compete with the best."
The second eight earned a spot in the petite final after winning their heat and finishing fourth in the semifinals. In the petite final, the Badgers finished third in 6:57.36, just 3.52 seconds behind the winning boat from Massachusetts.
"We put together our best race of the weekend in the petite final," Miller said. "They learned something in each one of their races this weekend and put together the best race at the end. Every race they did something better, and it was nice to see that progression."
Wisconsin has another tough set of races next weekend when it travels to Boston to race against MIT, Harvard, Stanford and Buffalo on Saturday.
Lineups
1st Varsity Eight, Lightweight A
Coxswain: Lexi Sabarots, Constance Chucholowski, Abby Knight, Alessandra Ruenger, Jessica Lund, Hillary Schmidt, Meredith Freshley, Gillian Lapadat, Daniella Nunes
2nd Varsity Eight, Lightweight B
Coxswain: Jenna Pavelec, Erin Wylie, Samantha Brecht, Lara Tiramani, Lucy Wood, Sophie Gavell, Kayla Van Cleave, Erin Mullin, Marlee Piette
3rd Varsity Eight, Lightweight C
Coxswain: Brianna Murphy, Katie Rosoff, Sofie Madden, Elizabeth Emmerich, Cassie Forman, AnaElise Beckman, Erin McFarlane, Lacey Kolb, Miron Gretchen
