March 25, 2006
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The UCF women's rowing team was impressive on Saturday, finishing ahead of host Jacksonville in all three of its races at the Petrakis Cup on the St. John's River. The Golden Knights claimed the Mary B. Petrakis Cup, winning the varsity eight race.
In addition to UCF's openweights, Embry-Riddle, Tulane and host Jacksonville were also in action on Saturday. The teams battled a strong cross-head wind for all of the races as the water on the St. John's River got rougher and worsened throughout the morning.
The Golden Knights won the varsity eight race, clocking in with a time of 6:42.0. UCF's second varsity eight finished second at 7:01.4, nine seconds ahead of third-place Jacksonville.
"The team raced well today," said UCF head coach Leeanne Crain. "Despite the rough conditions on the water, they stayed focused and executed their race plan."
UCF's varsity four and novice four boats both earned victories over the Dolphins. The varsity four finished at 8:16.9. In the novice four race, UCF finished 17 seconds head of Jacksonville with a time of 9:02.4.
UCF swept Jacksonville on the women's side, but the Dolphins won the overall points trophy (combined points for all men's and women's races). On the men's side, the UCF club team finished behind Jacksonville in all of its races.
The novice eight race was canceled due to the rough conditions on the water.
"It was unfortunate that we were not able to run the novice eight race," said Crain. "This is an outdoor sport and sometimes mother nature gets the best of us."
The Golden Knights will return to the water on April 1 at the Clemson Regatta in South Carolina.
Petrakis Cup results
Varsity Eight:
1. UCF. 6:42.0
2. UCF "B" (JV8). 7:01.4
3. Jacksonville 7:10.8
4. Tulane 7:48.5
5. Embry-Riddle. 9:01.4
Varsity Four:
1. UCF. 8:16.9
2. Jacksonville 8:27.8
3. Tulane- No Time
Novice Four:
1. UCF 9:02.4
2. Jacksonville 9:19.9