March 18, 2016
ORLANDO, Fla. - The UCF rowing team put on a show as its 10 seniors competed in their final race on Lake Pickett. The Knights swept all five events during their only home regatta of the season.
The Knights hosted an American Athletic Conference matchup with UConn, and welcomed Nova Southeastern and Jacksonville for five events on Lake Pickett.
The Varsity Eight squad, consisting of Catherine Harms, Lauren Aiello, Edvina Nesukaityte, Viktorija Senkute, Ashleigh Boyd, Marija Medelinskaite, Olivia Staples, Julia Chase and Rachael Klunder, opened the day for the Knights. UCF won with a time of 6:50.82, posting the largest Black and Gold margin of victory of the day. The boat crossed the finish line more than 12 seconds ahead of Nova Southeastern, who took second place.
UCF's Second Varsity Eight, consisting of Olivia Hecimovich, Zana Krakic, Leonie Hamel, Alison Ponce, Ivana Krkljus, Aly Derksen, Sarah Gordon, Anna Mahoney and Erin Corrigan, collected the second Black and Gold win of the day with a time of 7:05.5. The Knights edged second-place UConn by nearly three seconds.
The Varsity Four boat, consisting of Kristen Taylor, Lauren Wasko, Dani Burton, Paula Parks and Danielle Taylor, kept the streak going with a win in the third event of the day. The Knights crossed the finish line in 7:51.0, just over nine seconds ahead of second-place UConn.
The Second Varsity Four boat, consisting of Jillian Jernas, Shannon Perry, Jazmin Sepulveda, Catherine Johnston and Amy Compare, raced a pair of UConn 2V4+ squads in the fourth event of the day. The Knights posted a winning time of 8:02.8.
The Third Varsity Eight boat, consisting of Ashley Martin, Brianne Addison, Laney Palmquist, Kathleen Kuesters, Andrea Hebditch, Rachel diMonda, Allie Gordon, Christine Bralich and Danielle De La Pascua, completed the UCF sweep with a winning time of 7:30.1. The Knights finished over five seconds ahead of second-place UConn.
The Knights are back in action on April 2, traveling to Corvallis, Ore. for the Oregon State Invite.
Results
Varsity Eight
1. UCF 6:50.82
2. Nova Southeastern 7:03.77
3. Jacksonville 7:06.55
4. UConn 7:11.48
Second Varsity Eight
1. UCF 7:05.5
2. UConn 7:08.36
3. Jacksonville 7:24.78
4. Nova Southeastern 7:34.11
Varsity Four
1. UCF 7:51.0
2. UConn 8:00.02
3. Jacksonville 8:09.07
Second Varsity Four
1. UCF 8:02.8
2. UConn A 8:15.07
3. UConn B 8:36.88
Third Varsity Eight
1. UCF 7:30.1
2. UConn 7:35.27
3. Nova Southeastern 8:03.57
Story by Megan Herboth; Photos by Avery Lee