OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The third-ranked Wisconsin women's lightweight program won a pair of championships on Sunday at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) Regatta.

Racing against openweight competition, the Badgers won the women's open eight and women's open four events, while all five of its crews took home top-three finishes on Melton Hill Lake.

"We are really happy we decided to race at SIRA this spring," lightweight coach Dusty Mattison said. "The venue is beautiful and the great racing conditions allowed us three competitive races.
 
"I think the relaxed, but professional, nature of the regatta helped the athletes find a new level of racing that we will take with us to Eastern Sprints. They were able to remain relaxed, yet aggressive, which is necessary to execute a top level performance."
 
Women's Open Eight
The UW lightweight eight clocked 6:39.340 to win by over six seconds in the open eight. FIT was second in 6:45.864, while Kansas State grabbed the third spot in 6:50.508.
 
"The varsity eight gained a ton of confidence this weekend," Mattison said. "They put up some very respectable times. What stood out the most was their racing mentality. We talked a lot about how you have to practice racing in order to be great at it. They took that to heart and will benefit from it the rest of the season."
 
Women's Open Four
The Badgers claimed two of the top three spots, including first place, in the open four. UW's "A" boat clocked 7:33.137 to win by just 3.6 seconds over second-place Kansas State. Wisconsin's "B" boat timed 7:43.905 to take home the bronze medal.
 
"The "A" four just kept putting together one great race after another," Mattison stated. "They were one of the most aggressive boats of the entire regatta. I am so proud of their fearlessness when it comes to setting the tone with their competition. They just lay it down and keep pushing for more.
 
"The "B" four improved upon their performances each time down the course. They are a versatile crew that loves to race no matter who is in the boat and who they are racing. It was so fun to see both fours in the top three spots!"
 
Women's Second Varsity Eight
Racing against openweight junior varsity crews, the Wisconsin lightweight novices finished third in their event. Boats from Kansas State took the top-two positions, winning with a time of 6:57.975. KSU's second boat finished in 7:10.256. The Badgers lightweight novice boat was third in 7:13.212. Florida, Dayton and Purdue rounded out the final.
 
"The freshmen got valuable racing experience this weekend," Mattison said. "The thing that stands out about the freshmen is their composure and ability to remain relaxed. They were racing openweight varsity crews and it didn't frazzle them. With a bit more water time this week it will be fun to see what they can do at Eastern Sprints."
  
Women's Double Sculls
After posting the third-fastest time trial on Saturday, UW's double sculls crew of Madeline Rowe and Abby Keith matched that finish, taking third in the seven-boat final with a time of 8:43.112. The top-two time trialists also finished in the top-two places as William and Mary won in 8:22.244 and Tampa was second in 8:29.908.
 
"The double had a good first half, but right at the 1000 meters they had a break in their rhythm and struggled a bit to get that back," Mattison stated. "I am certain with more water time this week they will find more speed."
 
Up Next
The lightweights return to the water next Sunday, April 29, at the 2018 Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges (Eastern Sprints) Championships in Worcester, Massachusetts.
 
"Each athlete came away with a medal this weekend, but more importantly they took the learning process to heart," Mattison stated. "That is what (novice coach) Karly (Laney) and I are most proud of and they should be as well. They raced extremely hard, had fun and represented the University of Wisconsin in the best way possible."
 
SIRA Regatta
April 22, 2018
Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Melton Hill Lake
2000 meters

Women's Open Eight
Final
1. Wisconsin Ltwt, 6:39.340; 2. FIT, 6:45.864; 3. Kansas State, 6:50.508; 4. Dayton, 6:53.760; 5. Barry, 6:55.656; 6. Purdue, 7:05.796
UW Lineup - Coxswain Anika Chatterjee, Agathe Denis, Brianna Wynne, Grace D'Souza, Jennifer Whitehill, Grace Joyce, Brianna Ohm, Kathryne Ruffalo, Rachel Illgen
 
Second Varsity Eight
Final
1. Kansas State A, 6:57.975; 2. Kansas State B, 7:10.256; 3. Wisconsin Ltwt Novice, 7:13.212; 4. Florida, 7:25.395; 5. Dayton, 7:29.631; 6. Purdue, 7:34.215
UW Lineup - Coxswain Mya Lebakken, Julia Johnson, Sarah Stacks, Tori Kost, Kate Maguire, Delaney Toepel, Virginia Mathu, Mallory Grim, Alicia Wolf
 
Women's Open Four
Final
1. Wisconsin Ltwt A, 7:33.137; 2. Kansas State, 7:36.753; 3. Wisconsin Ltwt B, 7:43.905; 4. Barry, 7:49.597; 5. FIT, 7:52.461; 6. Rollins, 8:03.197
UW Lineup - A – Coxswain Rachel Yan, Claire Kelley, Mirha Girt, Janet Titzler, Payton James
B – Coxswain Rachel Schwarz, Alexandra Fochios, Marilyn Garberg, Shannon Lipe, Jacqueline Jones
 
Women's Double Sculls
Final
1. Williams and Mary, 8:22.244; 2. Tampa, 8:29.908; 3. Wisconsin Ltwt, 8:43.112; 4. ERAU, 8:45.772; 5. South Florida, 8:56.651; 6. Wichita State, 8:58.607; 7. Emory, 9:16.795
UW Lineup - Madeline Rowe, Abigail Keith