April 21, 2012
Lightweight Women's Invitational Regatta
Charles River • Boston | |
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Varsity Eight: Heat 2
| | 1. | Wisconsin | 7:16.1 | | 2. | Harvard-Radcliffe | 7:16.5 | | 3. | UMass | 8:24.9 | | Varsity Eight: Grand Final
| | 1. | Wisconsin | 7:24.9 | | 2. | Stanford | 7:25.7 | | 3. | Harvard-Radcliffe | 7:36.4 | | 4. | Buffalo | 8:09.8 | | Second Varsity Eight
| | 1. | Harvard-Radcliffe | 7:33.4 | | 2. | Wisconsin | 7:37.6 | | 3. | Stanford | 7:42.1 | | 4. | MIT | 8:12.0 | | |
MADISON, Wis. -- A light wind and slightly bumpy water wouldn’t hinder the Wisconsin women’s lightweight rowing team in three impressive races in Boston, including a tight victory over No. 1 Stanford.
Six top-10 teams converged on the Charles River to race their first and second varsity eights. The first varsity eights met in two heats and a final, while four second varsity eights raced in a final.
| Fast Facts | | • No. 2 Wisconsin edges No. 1 Stanford by .8 seconds in varsity eight Grand Final | | • Badgers' varsity eight wins heat by .4 seconds over Harvard-Radcliffe | | • Wisconsin's first and second varsity eight race Stanford again tomorrow in Boston | |
Wisconsin’s second-ranked first varsity eight defeated No. 4 Harvard-Radcliffe and No. 10 UMass in its heat, advancing to the finals with a time of 7:16.1. The Badgers got out to an early lead and maintained a boat-length lead for the majority of the race. Radcliffe made an attempt to catch UW in the final 500 meters, but the Badgers hung on, winning by just .4 seconds.
Radcliffe also advanced to the grand final, while the University of Massachusetts advanced to the petite final. In the first heat, Stanford and No. 7 Buffalo advanced to the grand final, while No. 8 MIT raced UMass in the petite final.
In the finals, the Badgers defeated No. 1 Stanford in a very tight race, crossing the finish line in 7:24.9. Wisconsin, Stanford and Radcliffe were nearly even for the first 500 meters before the Badgers started to pull away. At the midway point, Stanford pulled away from Radcliffe and gained on UW. For the final 1,000 meters, the Badgers maintained their lead, but never saw it grow by more than 3 seats. The Badgers staved off several pushes by Stanford finishing just .8 seconds ahead of the Cardinal.
“This was the tightest racing I’ve seen in a long time,” head coach Erik Miller said. “It was a hard-fought battle, they did a great job keeping the boat moving and finished just ahead of Stanford in a nail-biter of a finish.”
In the second varsity eight, the Badgers got off to a good start over Radcliffe, Stanford and MIT. After the midway point in the race, Radcliffe pulled even with Wisconsin and pulled ahead in the final 500 meters, winning by a boat’s length. The Badgers finished second in 7:37.6, which was 4.2 seconds behind Radcliffe and 4.5 seconds ahead of Stanford.
“Radcliffe did a really good job in slightly bumpy conditions and rowed better than we did in the second half of the race,” Miller said. “It was nice to see us make improvements and finish ahead of Stanford after losing to them by about four seconds two weeks ago.”
The Badgers and Cardinal met on April 7 in California, on Stanford’s home course. Wisconsin won five of the eight races, but Stanford claimed close victories in the first and second varsity eights.
The regular-season series between No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 Wisconsin will be decided Sunday when the first and second eights matchup in a two-race dual in Boston.
Wisconsin Lineups
1st Varsity Eight
Coxswain: Lexi Sabarots, Constance Chucholowski, Abby Knight, Alessandra Ruenger, Jessica Lund, Hillary Schmidt, Meredith Freshley, Gillian Lapadat, Daniella Nunes
2nd Varsity Eight
Coxswain: Jenna Pavelec, Erin Wylie, Samantha Brecht, Lara Tiramani, Lucy Wood, Sophie Gavell, Kayla Van Cleave, Erin Mullin, Marlee Piette
