ORLANDO- The No. 15 UCF rowing team concluded their regular season with a dominant performance at their senior day duel against the University of Miami as every UCF boat crossed the finish line first in all races.
UCF’s I Eight took to the water first, consisting of junior coxswain Audrey Vilendrer, with freshman Sofia Nevado, junior Hannah Lovejoy, sophomores Brigitte Kappler and Reese Springer, freshman Lucy Buckingham, fifth-year Elisa Faiola, freshman Luna Kuiper and sophomore Ines Martin. The boat kicked off the duel strong for the Black and Gold, finishing with a 22.8-second advantage over the Hurricanes to post a time of 6:52.0.
In a similar fashion, the Knights’ II Eight found plenty of open water finishing with a time of 7:08.2 as Miami followed at 7:27.8. The crew was coxed by senior Julia Going, accompanied by freshman Sophia Scott, junior Natasjia Voulanas, senior Claire Kaminski, sophomore Maja Misljenovic, juniors Veronica Rush and Amalie Thorsen, and freshman Kesha Bruinette and Sofia Palacios.
The I and II Four were the next race, each securing a solid margin of victory over Miami’s boats, recording times of 7:59.9 and 8:05.9, respectively. The Hurricanes’ I and II Four followed suit, marking times of 8:22.1 and 8:35.0.
UCF’s III and IV Eight were the final boats to compete on their home water, as the Knights' III Eight posted a time of 7:37.3, a stellar 25.4 second advantage over the Hurricanes’ III Eight, who clocked a time of 8:02.7. The Black and Gold’s IV Eight finished just behind, with a time of 8:04.5, the lone boat of the day to cross the line behind Miami.
The squad will stay in the Sunshine State, packing their bags for Sarasota to kick off postseason competition at the Big 12 Rowing Championships on May 17-18.