June 1, 2012
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| Results
2012 IRA National Championships
Cooper River • Camden, N.J.
Distance: 2 Kilometers | |
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Varsity Eight: Heat 1
| | 1. | Wisconsin | 7:33.951 | | 2. | Harvard-Radcliffe | 7:39.797 | | 3. | Georgetown | 7:46.510 | | Varsity Four: Heat 2
| | 1. | Wisconsin | 8:48.749 | | 2. | SUNY Buffalo | 9:06.005 | | 3. | Georgetown | 9:22.805 | | 4. | MIT | 10:21.67 | | |
CAMDEN, N.J. -- The Wisconsin women’s lightweight rowing team opened the 2012 Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) National Championships in domineering fashion with two heat wins on Friday in Camden, N.J.
With a slight crosswind and choppy water, Wisconsin won the women’s lightweight varsity eight and varsity four heats by open water. Both crews advance to Saturday’s grand finals, where the Badgers will race for their sixth varsity eight national championship and second-straight varsity four title.
“We got the regatta off to a good start,” head coach Erik Miller said. “The crews did a good job of handling the conditions, and in both races we took control and had the races we wanted to, finishing first.”
| Fast Facts | | • Wisconsin advances both boats to Saturday's grand final | | • The Badgers will race for their sixth varsity eight national title and second-straight varsity four championship | |
In the varsity eight, the Badgers recovered from an early deficit to win by open water in 7:33.951. Harvard-Radcliffe was the closest crew, 5.846 seconds behind Wisconsin. A gust of wind got UW off line just before the start, but the Badgers took the lead from Georgetown near the 500 meter mark. By the halfway point in the race, Wisconsin had a six-seat lead and never looked back.
“It was a little bumpy at the start, we had a little bit of a waggle, but got it right back on course and got back in the race,” Miller said. “They did a great job of handling that and getting back into what we needed to do.”
With a slightly stronger wind, the varsity four used a great start to fuel a 17.256-second win in its heat, finishing in 8:48.749. Wisconsin’s great start turned into an open-water lead before the 1000 meter mark and the Badgers crossed the finish line well ahead of SUNY Buffalo.
“That’s a really strong group of kids in the four,” Miller said. “I expected them to be a strong crew and was really happy with how they raced today.”
Both Wisconsin boats race in Saturday’s grand finals to determine a national champion. Stanford also won both heats, and the Badgers and Cardinal await the crews that race in repechages Friday afternoon.
Wisconsin Lineups
Varsity Eight
Coxswain: Brianna Murphy, Abby Knight, Alessandra Ruenger, Meredith Freshley, Hillary Schmidt, Jessica Lund, Constance Chucholowski, Daniella Nunes, Gillian Lapadat
Varsity Four
Coxswain: Jenna Pavelec, Erin Wylie, Sofie Madden, Sophie Gavell, Lucy Wood
