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West Virginia Finishes Strong at Knecht Cup
April 10, 2016 07:32 PM | Rowing
WEST WINDSOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. – The West Virginia University rowing team completed the 2016 Knecht Cup Regatta with a Grand Final and Petite Final finish from the women’s first novice four and the women’s second varsity eight boats, respectively, on Mercer Lake on Sunday, in West Windsor Township, New Jersey.
“Our second varsity eight and novice four gained a lot of valuable racing experience this weekend, which will serve them well in races to come,” said head coach Jimmy King.
In the first race of the day for the Mountaineers, the second varsity eight boat crossed the finish line with a semifinal time of 7:12.77 to place third behind Connecticut (7:10.02) and Big 12 foe Kansas (7:07.40). With a third-place finish, the second varsity eight crew of Abbigail Rees, Jacqueline Spiropoulos , Elizabeth Hooper, Grace Dever, Carly Ledbetter, Janae Hurst, Lillian Westerman, Alisha Brownfield and coxswain Brittany James earned themselves a spot in the Petite Final.
The Mountaineers’ second varsity eight crew finished in fourth place in the Petite Final with a time of 7:01.00. Overall, WVU placed 10th out of 27 entries in the Second Varsity Eight event.
“I’m very pleased with how the second varsity eight raced this weekend,” King explained. “They didn’t let a bad stroke here or there affect them, and they raced with poise in tight contests during the semifinals and final.”
The women’s varsity eight boat began the day with a semifinal race against Wisconsin, Miami, Kansas, Drexel, SMU and Fordham. WVU recorded a seventh-place finish with a time of 7:00.79 to conclude its run at the Knecht Cup Regatta.
On Saturday, the Mountaineers’ novice four crew advanced to the Grand Final with a pair of runner-up finishes. The crew of Nicole Bender, Kara Ehrenberger, Amanda Garn, Madison Stepp and coxswain Kaitlin Sullivan placed sixth out of 30 entries with a Grand Final time of 8:11.70.
“I’m proud of the crew for making it to the Grand Final,” said novice coach Amanda Merritt. “Although we came in sixth, I’m happy with how they battled with the other crews today. Leading into the Grand Final, we knew that it was going to be a tough race with the strong teams that we were facing. The big positive in the final was that we closed the gap on teams that were faster than us in the heats and semifinals.”
The Mountaineers return to the water in two weeks for a scrimmage against Duquesne on Saturday, April 23, in Pittsburgh. Competition is set to begin at 8 a.m. on the Allegheny River.
LINEUPS/RESULTS
Varsity Eight: Emily Stasi, Elizabeth Kantak, Sadie Kalathunkal, Emma Preston, Louisa Morgan, Susannah Hartlove, Megan Brophy, Elizabeth Young and coxswain Emily Deming
Results (Semifinals):
- Wisconsin LWT (6:48.13)
- Miami (6:49.67)
- Kansas (6:51.26)
- Drexel (6:53.19)
- SMU (6:59.36)
- Fordham (6:59.70)
- West Virginia (7:00.79)
Second Varsity Eight: Abbigail Rees, Jacqueline Spiropoulos, Elizabeth Hooper, Grace Dever, Carly Ledbetter, Janae Hurst, Lillian Westerman, Alisha Brownfield and coxswain Brittany James
Results (Semifinals):
- Kansas (7:07.40)
- Connecticut (7:10.02)
- West Virginia (7:12.77)
- Alabama (7:12.88)
- North Carolina (7:20.10)
- Delaware (7:22.17)
Results (Petite Final):
- Fordham (6:55.99)
- Drexel (6:57.82)
- Temple (6:58.01)
- West Virginia (7:01.00)
- Boston University LWT (7:02.78)
- Alabama (7:04.76)
Frosh/Novice Four A: Nicole Bender, Kara Ehrenberger, Amanda Garn, Madison Stepp and coxswain Kaitlin Sullivan
Results (Grand Final):
- Boston College (7:51.73)
- Pittsburgh (7:56.80)
- Massachusetts (8:00.14)
- Lafayette A (8:03.94)
- Holy Cross (8:04.56)
- West Virginia A (8:11.70)
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