MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University rowing team won both Varsity 8+ races and the Varsity 4+ race to defeat Robert Morris, 3-0, in its first scored event of the season at Neville Township, Pennsylvania, on Sunday afternoon.
"The quality and consistency of effort in today's racing was quite solid among all of our crews," WVU rowing coach
Jimmy King said. "While there are certainly many technical areas where we can and need to make improvements, that simply means there's more speed to be had."
The race was scheduled to start at RMU's Midge McPhail Boathouse located on the RMU Island Sports Center. Racing was to take place on the Ohio River racing downstream from the Neville Island Bridge (I-79 overpass) along the northern riverbank.
However, visibility was limited due to fog on the racecourse along the northernmost riverbank. Rather than waiting for the fog to lift, racing was moved to the channel flowing along the southern side of Neville Island. Utilizing floating starts and navigating a course with a slight turn, racing proceeded without an issue.
After a short break following the 2k race, all crews returned to the water for a series of 3x2' racing pieces to complete the day's competition.
"We are very thankful to Coach Schoenecker and the RMU Colonials for being willing and able to run today's competition on short notice," King added. "We look forward to hosting them in Morgantown in two weeks."
In the first event of the day, WVU's first varsity eight boat raced its way to the win with a 7:00.2-7:08.1 finish.
The Mountaineers' second varsity eight boat also raced its way to victory with a 7:05.9 finish. The Robert Morris 'A' team finished with a time of 7:24.7, while its 'B' team finished in 8:07.9.
West Virginia's first varsity four boat crossed the finish line in 8:04.2, securing the Mountaineers' third win of the day. Robert Morris finished the race with a time of 8:22.1.
The lineups for each boat and the results can be found below
West Virginia at Robert Morris, Neville Township, Pennsylvania
Varsity 8+
7:00.2 – WVU | 7:08.1 – RMU
First Varsity 8+ Lineup: Lydia Nicolai,
Jessica Woy,
Ashlea Clark,
Kaira Lay,
Ashley Dibling,
Allyson George, Megan
Present,
Kileigh Lade,
Emily DeGlopper.
2nd Varsity 8+
7:05.9 – WVU | 7:24.7 – RMU A | 8:07.9 – RMU B
Second Varsity 8+ Lineup: Gabrielle Riggleman,
Samantha Perro,
Kathleen Meldrum,
Jordan Wittmaack,
Madison Lindung,
Nicole Dibling,
Laurna Atkins,
Ally Fisher,
Sydney VanAuken.
Varsity 4+
8:04.2 – WVU | 8:22.1 – RMU
Varsity 4+ Lineup: Ruth Mierzejewski,
Alexandra Farron,
Danielle Shuttleworth,
Anna Gall,
Maura Harkins.
