2016 American Rowing Championship Results
GOLD RIVER, Calif. (UCFKnights.com) - UCF Rowing came alive on Lake Natoma and cruised to a second straight American Athletic Conference championship on Saturday.
"Our entire season really came together today," head coach Becky Cramer said. "All of the boats were able to take the best parts of their racing through the season and put it together today when it mattered. They all truly rose to the occasion and it was exciting to watch!"
Last season, the Knights won the program's first ever conference championship in West Windsor, N.J. This year, UCF traveled to the west coast to earn the first back-to-back titles in program history.
The Knights earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Championship for the second straight season. UCF will return to Lake Natoma for the NCAA races, which will take place in May 27-29.
Senior Olivia Staples was joined by juniors Lauren Aiello, Rachael Klunder and Ashleigh Boyd as First Team All-Conference selections. Sophomores Ivana Krkljus and Viktorija Senkute, along with freshman Marija Medelinskaite, were named All-Conference Second Team. The UCF coaching staff repeated as The American Coaching Staff of the Year.
The Third Varsity Four opened the day on Lake Natoma. The squad, consisting of Jillian Jernas, Abigail Rose, Laney Palmquist, Christine Bralich and Camila Velez, posted a time of 8:06.9 for a fourth place finish. Less than two seconds separated the top four boats in the event.
In the Second Varsity Four race, the Knights posted a third place finish. The squad, consisting of Erica Jimenez, Brianne Addison, Aly Derksen, Erin Corrigan and Andrea Hebditch, posted a time of 7:59.3.
The Third Varsity Eight, consisting of Ashley Martin, Jazmin Sepulveda, Catherine Johnston, Sydney Hays, Shannon Perry, Vitoria Artmann, Kathleen Kuesters, Allie Gordon and Paula Parks, gave the Knights a third place finish in the third event of the day. The squad crossed the line with a time of 7:16.8.
The Varsity Four was favored to win its race. The squad, consisting of Kristen Taylor, Anna Mahoney, Leonie Hamel, Grace Lindberg and Rachel Rabinowitz, pulled away from the pack down the stretch and posted an open-water win over Tulsa. The Knights crossed the line with a season-best time of 7:35.2.
The Second Varsity Eight, consisting of Catherine Harms, Edvina Nesukaityte, Jasmine Blais, Rachael Klunder, Sarah Gordon, Dani Burton, Lauren Wasko, Danielle Taylor and Julia Chase, kept the winning streak going in the fifth event of the day. The squad used an open-water winning time of 6:50.3 to give the Knights back-to-back event victories.
The Varsity Eight, consisting of Olivia Hecimovich, Ashleigh Boyd, Lauren Aiello, Viktorija Senkute, Ivana Krkljus, Zana Krakic, Marija Medelinskaite, Olivia Staples and Alison Ponce, repeated as champions to close out the day. The squad was favored to win the race, raced out to an early lead and posted a winning time of 6:40.7. UCF finished nearly nine seconds ahead of Tulsa.
Team Standings
1. UCF 213
2. Tulsa 183
3. Temple 149
4. Sacramento State 141
5. San Diego State 128
6. UConn 101
7. SMU 48
Results
Varsity Eight
1. UCF 6:40.7
2. Tulsa 6:49.2
3. Temple 6:54.0
4. San Diego State 6:55.4
5. Sacramento State 6:56.1
6. UConn 7:01.0
7. SMU 7:08.9
Second Varsity Eight
1. UCF 6:50.3
2. Sacramento State 6:58.2
3. Tulsa 7:01.1
4. San Diego State 7:03.3
5. Temple 7:04.3
6. UConn 7:08.9
7. SMU 7:33.1
Varsity Four
1. UCF 7:35.2
2. Tulsa 7:39.5
3. UConn 7:41.9
4. Temple 7:42.4
5. Sacramento State 7:48.3
6. San Diego State 7:57.1
7. SMU 8:34.4
Third Varsity Eight
1. Temple 7:09.3
2. Tulsa 7:14.4
3. UCF 7:16.8
4. UConn 7:25.6
5. Sacramento State 7:32.0
6. San Diego State 7:39.7
Second Varsity Four
1. Tulsa 7:50.1
2. Sacramento State 7:53.4
3. UCF 7:59.3
4. Temple 8:05.3
5. UConn 8:10.2
6. San Diego State 8:11.0
Third Varsity Four
1. Temple 8:05.1
2. San Diego State 8:05.6
3. Sacramento State 8:05.8
4. UCF 8:06.9
5. Tulsa 8:23.9
6. UConn 8:27.4
Story by Megan Herboth; Photos by the American Athletic Conference