WORCESTER, Mass. -- The No. 3 Wisconsin women's lightweight rowing team earned 47.8 team points to placed second in the Konrad Ulbrich Points Trophy standings, just 0.3 points behind No. 2 Boston University. The Badgers took home a trio of first-place finishes, as well as a bronze finish in the first varsity eight at the Eastern Sprints in Worcester, Massachusetts.
 
"Today was an extremely exciting day for the team," UW head coach Dusty Mattison said. "We had great performances all around. We were squeaked out by BU for the team trophy, so we didn't reach our goal there, but I wouldn't say that we're disappointed. Everyone was really positive and really excited to see how well everyone did and were really supportive of one another.
 
"Overall, a really great team effort today and I think it really bodes well for the future and the depth that we have on the team going forward."
 
"I'm really proud of our lightweights today," Bebe Bryans, the UW women's openweight rowing coach, said. "They had a great regatta and unfortunately a couple of the races didn't count for the team points, but they raced great and really brought it for the Badgers today."
 
Wisconsin's varsity four, comprised of coxswain Tenzin Khangkar, Jennifer Whitehill, Christina Stevenson, Olivia Meehan and Sonja Liljegren, led the Badgers' day off on a high note. With a time of 8 minutes, 21.001 seconds, Wisconsin finished with open water between itself and Boston University.
 
Wisconsin's second and third varsity eights followed suit, finishing first in their respective grand finals. The third varsity eight completed the 2000 meter race with a 7:32.586 final time, besting Harvard-Radcliffe and Boston University.
 
"I really want to congratulate [assistant coach] Todd Vogt and the freshmen who competed in the third varsity eight and just dominated from the beginning," Mattison said. "It was a great experience for them as a boat to take into the years coming up. I'm really happy for them that they were able to do that and perform so well.
 
"For the 2V, they were in a little bit different situation. They were down a bit at the beginning but definitely were not frazzled and just worked their way back and were very patient. That was wonderful to see because they hadn't been in that situation and now we know that they are really mentally tough. Being able to come back and push away and continue to get open water was impressive."
 
The second varsity eight completed it's race in 7 minutes, 22.085 seconds to beat out Boston University, Harvard-Radcliffe and Princeton.
 
The Badgers' final race of the day was still a podium finish, but not quite what the team had hoped for as the first varsity eight placed third in its grand final, posting a time of 7:14.645.
 
"The 1V, we definitely are looking at putting everything together, but we're still not there yet," Mattison explained. "But they still executed a great race, and BU and Radcliffe are fast.
 
"We are looking for those extra seconds here over this next month to get us up and competitive in that top four. That's what these next four weeks are going to be, looking to find that extra speed and trying some different things."
 
The Badgers return to Madison for a month-long break in competition, gearing up for the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships, which will be held June 3-5 in West Windsor, New Jersey.
 
 
Results
Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges Championships (Eastern Sprints)
May 2, 2016
Worcester, Mass.
Lake Quinsigamond
2000 meters
 
Konrad Ulbrich Lightweight Points Trophy Standings
1. Boston University, 48.1
2. Wisconsin, 47.8
3. Harvard-Radcliffe, 46.0
4. Princeton, 24.8
5. Georgetown, 13
 
Lightweight Varsity Eight- Grand Final
1. Boston University, (7:04.601); 2. Harvard-Radcliffe, (7:08.034); 3. Wisconsin, (7:14.645); 4. Princeton, (7:32.041); 5. Georgetown, (7:39.608)
UW Lineup: Coxswain Audrey Dalgarno, Brianna Wynne, Jennifer Kish, Kate Ruffalo, Stephanie Meder, Janet Titzler, Helena Randle, Agathe Denis, Julia Glueck
 
Lightweight Second Varsity Eight- Grand Final
1. Wisconsin, (7:22.085); 2: Boston University, (7:26.817); 3. Harvard-Radcliffe, (7:35.318); 4. Princeton, (7:41.236)
UW Lineup: Coxswain:  Eleanor Martin, Claire Kelley, Mirha Girt, Mackenzie Whiteside, Marilyn Garberg, Gabriela Purman, Amanda Aiello, Ariel Tallo, Emma Landauer
 
Lightweight Third Varsity Eight- Grand Final
1. Wisconsin, (7:32.586); 2. Harvard-Radcliffe, (7:40.889); 3. Boston University, (7:49.216)
UW Lineup: Coxswain Sarah Herman, Shannon Lipe, Madeline Bennett, Anna Dawley, Sarah Hamilton, Payton James, Brianna Ohm, Stephanie Browne, Jessica Sims

Lightweight Varsity Four- Grand Final
1. Wisconsin, (8:21.001); 2. Georgetown, (8:49.740) 
UW Lineup: Coxswain Tenzin Khangkar, Jennifer Whitehill, Christina Stevenson, Olivia Meehan, Sonja Liljegren