
Photo by: Steven Prunty
WVU Caps Season at Big 12 Championship
May 13, 2018 03:20 PM | Rowing
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University rowing team completed the 2017-18 season on Sunday afternoon at the 2018 Big 12 Rowing Championship, held on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
The Mountaineers collected eight team points to finish eighth overall. Among Big 12 foes, WVU was fifth with 47 team points.
No. 3 Texas was crowned the Big 12 champion for the fourth straight year, winning all five events. The Longhorns earned the conference's automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Rowing Championships. Oklahoma took second place with 38 team points, while Tennessee rounded out the top three with 37 points.
"The quality of racing among our crews across heats and finals was quite good and more complete than in recent years," said coach Jimmy King. "We can't and shouldn't be dismissive of our standing among our conference foes, and the reality is that we simply need to keep working to get fitter and stronger. While the results aren't good in that regard, the process has been quite good, and for that, I commend our team."
WVU's second varsity four boat finished in seventh overall with a Grand Final time of 8:08.850, nearly two seconds shy of Kansas' sixth-place finish (8:06.175).
West Virginia's second varsity eight crew captured a first-place finish in the Petite Final, out racing Old Dominion in the 2,000-meter course with a time of 7:15.742.
Additionally, the first varsity eight boat placed second with a Petite Final time of 7:06.719, just one second shy of Old Dominion's crew (7:05.349). The first varsity four crew also completed the 2,000-meter course behind Old Dominion with a Petite Final time of 8:16.969.
This weekend's championship marked the final race for four Mountaineer seniors: Abbigail Rees, Aria Asselta, Lillian Westerman and Jacqueline Spiropoulos.
"A final thank you to our four seniors – Abby, Aria, Lily and Jackie. They are all four-year rowers who made contributions to our team's progress on and off the water during their time at WVU. We wish each of them much success and look forward to welcoming them back as alumnae next season."
Of note, Carly Ledbetter capped her junior season by being named to the All-Big 12 Rowing Team.
Lineups/Results
First Varsity Eight: Coxswain Kaitlin Sullivan, Lindsay Krawczyk, Lize Morris, Carly Ledbetter, Grace Dever, Alissa Johnson, Alexis Brown, Amy Hoaglund and Hannah Simmerly
Results (Petite Final):
Second Varsity Eight: Coxswain Gabrielle Boylan, Lillian Westerman, Aria Asselta, Allyson George, Cassia Busch, Elizabeth Young, Jelena Veskov, Madisyn Lee and Louise Daenekindt
Results (Petite Final):
First Varsity Four: Coxswain Dana Bishop, Payton Rea, Margaret Heflin, Jordan Wittmaack and Madelynne Jones
Results (Petite Final):
Second Varsity Four: Coxswain Olivia Martinelli, Kileigh Lade, Madelene Blackwood, Hannah Hammon and Abigail Patrick
Results (Grant Final):
Keep up with West Virginia rowing on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by following @WVUrowing.
The Mountaineers collected eight team points to finish eighth overall. Among Big 12 foes, WVU was fifth with 47 team points.
No. 3 Texas was crowned the Big 12 champion for the fourth straight year, winning all five events. The Longhorns earned the conference's automatic bid to the 2018 NCAA Rowing Championships. Oklahoma took second place with 38 team points, while Tennessee rounded out the top three with 37 points.
"The quality of racing among our crews across heats and finals was quite good and more complete than in recent years," said coach Jimmy King. "We can't and shouldn't be dismissive of our standing among our conference foes, and the reality is that we simply need to keep working to get fitter and stronger. While the results aren't good in that regard, the process has been quite good, and for that, I commend our team."
WVU's second varsity four boat finished in seventh overall with a Grand Final time of 8:08.850, nearly two seconds shy of Kansas' sixth-place finish (8:06.175).
West Virginia's second varsity eight crew captured a first-place finish in the Petite Final, out racing Old Dominion in the 2,000-meter course with a time of 7:15.742.
Additionally, the first varsity eight boat placed second with a Petite Final time of 7:06.719, just one second shy of Old Dominion's crew (7:05.349). The first varsity four crew also completed the 2,000-meter course behind Old Dominion with a Petite Final time of 8:16.969.
This weekend's championship marked the final race for four Mountaineer seniors: Abbigail Rees, Aria Asselta, Lillian Westerman and Jacqueline Spiropoulos.
"A final thank you to our four seniors – Abby, Aria, Lily and Jackie. They are all four-year rowers who made contributions to our team's progress on and off the water during their time at WVU. We wish each of them much success and look forward to welcoming them back as alumnae next season."
Of note, Carly Ledbetter capped her junior season by being named to the All-Big 12 Rowing Team.
Lineups/Results
First Varsity Eight: Coxswain Kaitlin Sullivan, Lindsay Krawczyk, Lize Morris, Carly Ledbetter, Grace Dever, Alissa Johnson, Alexis Brown, Amy Hoaglund and Hannah Simmerly
Results (Petite Final):
- Old Dominion – 7:05.349
- West Virginia – 7:06.719
Second Varsity Eight: Coxswain Gabrielle Boylan, Lillian Westerman, Aria Asselta, Allyson George, Cassia Busch, Elizabeth Young, Jelena Veskov, Madisyn Lee and Louise Daenekindt
Results (Petite Final):
- West Virginia – 7:15.742
- Old Dominion – 7:28.785
First Varsity Four: Coxswain Dana Bishop, Payton Rea, Margaret Heflin, Jordan Wittmaack and Madelynne Jones
Results (Petite Final):
- Old Dominion – 8:08.674
- West Virginia – 8:16.969
Second Varsity Four: Coxswain Olivia Martinelli, Kileigh Lade, Madelene Blackwood, Hannah Hammon and Abigail Patrick
Results (Grant Final):
- Texas – 7:36.062
- Oklahoma – 7:42.595
- Alabama – 7:47.482
- Tennessee – 7:51.100
- Kansas State – 8:02.762
- Kansas – 8:06.175
- West Virginia – 8:08.850
Keep up with West Virginia rowing on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by following @WVUrowing.
Players Mentioned
Alumni Series | Lori Sherlock
Saturday, February 07
Jimmy King & Tina Griffith | 25 Years of Rowing
Saturday, February 07
Rowing Facility Tour
Saturday, February 07
A Conversation with Wren Baker
Monday, December 05





































