May 17, 2015
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Megan Herboth
UCFKnights.com
WEST WINDSOR, N.J. (UCFKnights.com) -- It all came down to the Varsity Eight.
UCF trailed Tulsa heading to the final race of the 2015 American Athletic Conference Championships. With a winning time of 6:34.255, the Varsity Eight gave UCF the first conference championship in program history on Sunday.
"The team has worked so hard for this," UCF head coach Becky Cramer said. "It's great to watch their efforts pay off. It's a great feeling and a great moment for UCF Rowing."
The Knights earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, which will take place in Sacramento, California, May 29-31. The UCF coaching staff was named The American Coaching Staff of the Year.
Senior Ginni Dunlop, sophomore Lauren Aiello and freshman Ivana Krkljus were named First Team All-Conference. Junior Olivia Staples was joined by freshmen Zana Krakic and Viktorija Senkute as Second Team All-Conference selections.
UCF's Varsity Eight lineup, Olivia Hecimovich, Kaitlyn Ward, Lauren Aiello, Viktorija Senkute, Ivana Krkljus, Olivia Staples, Zana Krakic, Ginni Dunlop and Crystal Victor, was a three-time American Boat of the Week recipient during the regular season and won by a length of open water.
The Second Varsity Eight boat, consisting of Kristen Taylor, Ashleigh Boyd, Andrea Krebs, Jasmine Blais, Amy Compare, Alison Ponce, Julia Chase, Danielle Taylor and Abby Justinger, also won in the grand final. Their winning time of 6:45.762 was more than five seconds ahead of second place Tulsa.
The third Black and Gold win of the day came from the Second Varsity Four squad, consisting of Catherine Harms, Lauren Wasko, Erin Corrigan, Brianne Addison and Carly Burleson. Their winning time of 7:42.029 was more than seven seconds ahead of second place Tulsa.
UCF's Varsity Four, consisting of Ragan Pape, Dani Burton, Kayla Thieken, Annie Thompson and Rachael Klunder, finished fourth.
The Third Varsity Eight, consisting of Kiana Thompson, Alyssa Combs, Leigh Durden, Rachel diMonda, Samantha Belmore, Taylor Barnard, Andrea Hebditch, Linae Parkinson and Caitlyn Lytle, along with the Third Varsity Four, consisting of Guiliana Abbate, Allie Gordon, Caylin Levin, Sarah Muller and Brittany Bagwell also posted fourth place finishes.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Team Scores
1. UCF 198
2. Tulsa 189
3. Sacramento State 160
4. Temple 107
5. SMU 91
6. San Diego State 88
7. UConn 70
8. Villanova 52
Varsity Eight
Grand Final
1. UCF 6:34.255
2. Tulsa 6:41.834
3. Sacramento State 6:45.144
4. SMU 6:48.499
5. San Diego State 6:55.291
6. Villanova 6:59.808
Second Varsity Eight
Grand Final
1. UCF 6:45.762
2. Tulsa 6:51.280
3. Sacramento State 6:52.219
4. Temple 7:01.307
5. UConn 7:06.017
6. San Diego State 7:07.132
Varsity Four
Grand Final
1. Sacramento State 7:35.962
2. Tulsa 7:40.780
3. Temple 7:41.560
4. UCF 7:46.047
5. San Diego State 7:52.286
6. SMU 8:00.440
Third Varsity Eight
Grand Final
1. Temple 7:04.843
2. UConn 7:14.886
3. Tulsa 7:25.367
4. UCF 7:39.542
Second Varsity Four
Grand Final
1. UCF 7:42.029
2. Tulsa 7:49.429
3. Sacramento State 7:54.057
4. UConn 7:55.887
5. Temple 8:17.367
- San Diego State exc.
Third Varsity Four
Final
1. Tulsa 8:05.253
2. Temple 8:08.153
3. UConn 8:17.827
4. UCF 8:19.650