Mountaineers Lead Big 12 to Second-Place Finish

Sunday, April 14

Fairfax Station, Va.

All Day

West Virginia University

George Mason Invite

April 14, 2019 04:33 PM | Rowing

2019 George Mason Invite Results

By: Tanner Cain

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University rowing team garnered 12 team points at the George Mason Invite on the Occoquan Reservoir in Fairfax Station, Virginia, on Sunday afternoon to lead the Big 12 Conference to a second-place finish.

"As hoped, we were able to test our boat speed in good racing conditions today," said coach Jimmy King. "We were happy to see our crews put together solid, back-to-back races in our second regatta day of the season, which is something we struggled with at the start of the spring. The quality, consistency of speed and effort were particularly good in the first varsity eight, but all of our crews took steps forward today."

In the first event of the day, WVU's first varsity eight boat raced its way to a second-place finish (6:39.40) in the second heat to secure a spot in the 1V8+ B Final.

The Mountaineers' second varsity eight boat also raced its way to a second-place finish (7:03.25) in its race and advanced to the 2V8+ B Final.

West Virginia's first varsity four boat crossed the finish line in 7:50.28 in its first event, securing the Mountaineers' third second-place finish of the morning session, and advanced to the 1V4+ B Final.

WVU's third varsity eight boat claimed a second-place finish, crossing the finish line in 7:12.68, to finish off the morning session. The Mountaineer boat advanced to the 3/4 V8+ A Final.

Kicking off the afternoon session, the first varsity eight boat placed second in the 1V8+ B Final, crossing the finish line in 7:10.87, to claim six points for the Big 12.

WVU's second varsity eight boat crossed the finish line in 7:10.87 in the 2V8+ B Final, good enough for second place, and secured four more points for the Big 12.

Finishing in 7:51.23, the first varsity four boat placed second in the 1V4+ B Final and bagged two points for the conference.

In the 3/4 V8+ A Final, the third varsity eight crossed the finished in 7:16.00 to finish fourth.

On the day, WVU gathered 12 of the Big 12 Conference's 43 points. The Big 12 would come up one point shy of first place, as the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) was crowned this year's George Mason Invite champion with 44 conference points. The Atlantic 10 Conference placed third with 18 points.

"While we certainly have to continue working to get stronger and faster across the board, that task becomes a bit more manageable as we do a better job of training and racing with consistency of mind and effort," said King. "That's the means to the end we're seeking."

The lineups for each boat and the total point values for each conference can be found below

2019 George Mason Invite Team Points
CAA – 44 Points (1st Place)
Big 12 – 43 Points (2nd Place)
Atlantic 10 – 18 Points (3rd Place).

Sunday's Lineups

First Varsity Eight: Jessica Woy, Grace Dever, Janae Hurst, Cassia Busch, Alissa Johnson, Carly Ledbetter, Alexis Brown, Hannah Simmerly. Coxswain: Kaitlin Sullivan

Second Varsity Eight: Katherine McMullen, Megan Casner, Madisyn Lee, Payton Rea, Allyson George, Megan Present, Emma Toy, Lindsay Krawczyk. Coxswain: Gabrielle Boylan

First Varsity Four: Ashley Dibling, Abigail Patrick, Danielle Hofmann, Grace Russell. Coxswain: Dana Bishop

Third Varsity Eight: Asha Gaines, Sarah Wabnitz, Megan Sutherland, Danielle Shuttleworth, Melanie Rence, Kelsey Goetze, Kileigh Lade, Rylee Haught. Coxswain: Olivia Martinelli

*All lineups are listed bow to stern with the coxswain at the end.

Looking Ahead
The Mountaineers return to Morgantown on Friday, April 19, to host their Blue & Gold Regatta on the Monongahela River. Friday's regatta is the lone home event of the season and will be an intrasquad matchup.

A schedule of events as well as the launch time will be released this week.

Keep up with West Virginia rowing on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by following @WVUrowing.