SARASOTA, Fla. -- Finishing a week of spring break training, the Wisconsin women's openweight and lightweight rowing teams capped off their trip with the Frozen vs. Sunshine States Regatta on Saturday morning. Racing took place at Nathan Benderson Park, which will be the site of the 2018 NCAA Championships.

The Badgers faced headwinds and choppy water at the start of the course, but rowed strong as the 11th-ranked openweight women swept all four races of the day against UCF and Miami.

The varsity eight clocked the Badgers' fastest time of the day, completing the 2,000-meter course in a time of six minutes, 56.9 seconds. UCF (7:02.1) and Miami (7:09.3) came in second and third, respectively, while the fifth-ranked Wisconsin lightweights rounded out the field with a time of 7:15.1.

The second varsity eight finished with a 7:03.5 time to again best Miami and UCF. The UW lightweights finished with a time of 7:30.9.

Freshman coxswain Emma Smith led the first varsity four to an 8:05.7 mark for a decisive win over second-place Miami (8:34.5) and third-place UCF (8:53.1).

Wisconsin's second varsity four completed the sweep with a time of 8:33.6, followed by Miami's 8:50.2. The Badgers' third varsity four, comprised of open and lightweight rowers, finished third with a time of 8:57.78, while UCF placed fourth at 10:11.9.

Up Next
Wisconsin welcomes No. 6 Ohio State and Rutgers to Devil's Lake in Baraboo on April 7 for the Big Ten Double Dual.

Straight From the Lake
Head coach Bebe Bryans
"Big thanks to UCF and Miami for coming out to race with us - it was a great way to cap off a very successful spring break.

"All boats did a good job of maintaining the focus we set for the trip and also race hard - and that was the goal for the day. The entire team took a big step forward this week, culminating in strong racing today. Big shout out to our senior class for continuing to lead this Badger team!

"We were able to use the starting system that was here for the world championships and will hopefully be used for NCAA's. Thank you to Nathan Benderson Park for hosting us all week and making us feel like World Champions!"

Lightweight coach Dusty Mattison
"The race this weekend was a great finisher to a really successful week of training.
 
"We were able to make some great strides and technical changes and work on different elements of the race.
We come into the start of the season in a really great spot.
 
"We are really happy how the racing went today. The lightweights were really aggressive all the way down the course
 
"We are really excited to get going this weekend against some teams who are going to push them to take it to the next level."


Frozen vs. Sunshine States Regatta
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Sarasota, Florida
Nathan Benderson Park
2000 meters

Varsity Eight
1. Wisconsin, 6:56.9; 2. UCF, 7:02.1; 3. Miami, 7:09.3; 4. Wisconsin Lightweights, 7:15.1

UW Lineups
Wisconsin - Coxswain Lily Hansen, Elisabet Pietz, Lexi Siverling, Megan Whitehouse, Molly Jennerman, Alexandra Lohrenz, Niamh Martin, Alicia Evans, Renee Olley
Wisconsin Lightweights - Coxswain Anika Chatterjee, Grace D'Souza, Jennifer Whitehill, Kathryn Ruffalo, Rachel Ilgen, Grace Joyce, Brianna Wynne, Agathe Denis, Janet Titzler


Second Varsity Eight
1. Wisconsin, 7:03.5; 2. Miami, 7:19.5;  3. UCF, 7:26.6; 4. Wisconsin Lightweights, 7:30.9

UW Lineups
Wisconsin - Coxswain Saylor Martin, Maren Schultz, Morganne Freeman, Callie Hebert, Sarah Gibbons, Cheyenne Brandt, Eliza Clifford, Gabby Simons, Marissa Gibson
Wisconsin Lightweights - Coxswain Rachel Yan, Claire Kelley, Brianna Ohm, Alex Fochios, Mirha Girt, Abby Keith, Payton James, Jacqueline Jones, Marilyn Garberg


Varsity Four
1. Wisconsin, 8:05.7; 2. Miami, 8:34.5;  3. UCF, 8:53.1

UW Lineup: Coxswain Emma Smith, Taylor Caudle, Jessie Bowden, Elizabeth Clarke, Katherine Grose


Second Varsity Four
1. Wisconsin, 8:33.6; 2. Miami, 8:50.2;  3. Wisconsin Open/Lightweights, 8:57.78; 4. UCF, 10:11.9

UW Lineups
Wisconsin - Coxswain Maggie Mandarano, Lauren O'Connor, Rebekah Armstrong, Isa Darvin, Hannah Cooper
Wisconsin Open/Lightweights - Coxswain Nicola Levy, Makayla Stow, Allison Winter-Reed, Orennia Goetzinger, Shannon Lipe