OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — The Wisconsin women's rowing team's second varsity four placed second in its final race of the Cardinal Invitational on Melton Hill Lake on Sunday.

The second varsity four placed second in the morning and third in the afternoon on day one and improved on its afternoon race time by 21 seconds in its final race.

The third varsity four finished in first place over lone day-two competitor Notre Dame, beating its boat to the finish line by almost 25 seconds.  

Wisconsin's second varsity eight and third varsity eight boats also gained speed, improving its day one afternoon race times by seven seconds and 15 seconds, respectively.

Straight from the shore
Head coach Vicky Opitz
"Lots of good racing and knowledge gained from this morning. Our team tried out a handful of different lineup combinations that resulted in picking up more speed in our second varsity eight and fours.

"I have to give a shout-out to our varsity four, who after completing their race had to go back down to the starting area to switch boats with our second varsity four that had been damaged during the warm-up. It was an incredibly kind thing to do and I'm so proud of them. Our second varsity four had to race in a completely different lineup – one boat was starboard stroked versus the port one they switched into – and had a fantastic race.

"Looking forward to getting back into training and adding in the knowledge gained from the trip."

Up Next: The Badgers compete at the Big Ten Invitational in Sarasota, Florida, at Nathan Benderson Park on Friday and Saturday, April 19-20. 

Cardinal Invitational
March 17, 2023
Melton Hill Lake
Oak Ridge, Tenn.
2000 meters

Varsity Eight
1. Duke, 6:34.095; 2. Notre Dame, 6:37.647; 3. Navy, 6:40.735; 4. Wisconsin, 6:51.813
UW Lineup - Coxswain Lindsey Meyer, Georgia Morrow, Kira Funk, Sophia Ortega, Olivia Meskan, Grace Belson, Nora Byrne, Anna Ardito, Tassneem Arafa

Second Varsity Eight
1. Duke, 6:37.026; 2. Notre Dame, 6:48.267; 3. Wisconsin, 6:50.283; 4. Navy, 6:56.123
UW Lineup - Coxswain Carly Banker, Kylie Magnus, Ana Magana Campos, Isabella Moore, Gace Fragakis, Mara Cassidy, Oona Zilavy, Anna Mueller, Lizzy Hanemann

Varsity Four
1. Duke, 7:22.733; 2. Notre Dame, 7:30.031; 3. Navy, 7:40.698; 4. Wisconsin, 7:49.791
UW Lineup - Coxswain Caitlin Cowan, Jacki Szelagowski, Sophia Gruenling, Macy Mosner, Morgan Jensema

Second Varsity Four
1. Duke, 7:12.657; 2. Wisconsin, 7:35.757; 3. Navy, 7:37.764; 4. Notre Dame, 7:45.030
UW Lineup - Coxswain Nora Clements, Josie Reeve, Marian Cracraft, Jadyn Schensky, Tristen Gallo

Third Varsity Four
1. Wisconsin, 8:00.734; 2. Notre Dame, 8:25.723
UW Lineup - Coxswain Sarah Chan, Eva McKinley, Evelyn Schauer, Katelyn Mamrick, Ella Peterson

Third Varsity Eight/Novice Eight
1. Duke, 6:52.083; 2. Notre Dame, 7:00.098; 3. Navy, 7:05.454; 4. Wisconsin, 7:07.967
Coxswain Emma Hefner, Bridget Daab, Kate Walseth, Sophia Williams, Celeste Dailey, Aiva Dahlby, Ava Heinz, Kat Bauer, Lauren Davis

Fourth Varsity Eight/Second Novice Eight
1. Indiana, 7:19.882; 2. Wisconsin, 7:31
Coxswain Kylie Beauchamp, Aliza Korman, Kendall Witt, Ryleigh O'Donoghue, Kylie Silus, Julia Brunetti, Tatum Thielman, Kate Walsh, Olivia Kust