SARASOTA, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF rowing team captured its third straight American Athletic Conference title with a clean sweep of all six events at Nathan Benderson Park on Saturday.
"We've put in so much hard work this year," head coach Becky Cramer said. "Today, the opportunity to race for a third conference championship was the reward. I know my team was excited to have that reward, and have the opportunity to three-peat."
Julie Poulsen, Lauren Aiello, Ashleigh Boyd and Marija Medelinskaite were named First Team All-Conference. Zana Krakic, Rachael Klunder and Viktorija Senkute earned Second Team All-Conference honors. The UCF rowing staff collected its third Coaching Staff of the Year award.
"Being a part of this three-time conference championship team has been an honor," Aiello said. "Especially today when we swept conference, which was our ultimate goal. It was an amazing way to end the conference portion of my career. Now we're excited to go to NCAAs and show them what we've got."
Competing in a steady tailwind, the Knights swept all six events for the first time since joining The American, collecting a total of 217 points.
The Third Varsity Four, which consisted of Erica Jimenez, Jessika Scholz, Jazmin Sepulveda, Alyssa Ramos and Nicole Snyder, started the day with a victory for the Knights. The boat cruised to a 7:28.6 time to finish first.
The Second Varsity Four, consisting of Kristen Taylor, Sydney Hays, Darby Brooks, Jacinta Kendall and Caitlin Ross, made its move in the final 500 meters, pulling ahead of Tulsa to cross the line first. The boat posted a winning time of 7:39.6.
The Third Varsity Eight, which consisted of Ashley Martin, Liz Mallet, Raquel Smeenge, Danielle Wilson, Leonie Hamel, Ashley Barnes, Jordan Jahosky, Dina Samaan and Triston Krebs, was in a close race with both UConn and Tulsa. The squad pulled away down the stretch to post a winning time of 6:58.8.
The Varsity Four added 32 points to UCF's score with a first place finish in the fourth race of the day. The boat, which consisted of Nicole Mayer, Aly Derksen, Shannon Perry, Grace Lindberg and Paula Parks, pushed by the Hurricane to cross the line in 7:22.2.
In the Second Varsity Eight jumped out to a lead and never looked back. The boat, which consisted of Catherine Harms, Rachael Klunder, Jasmine Blais, Anna Mahoney, Ivana Krkljus, Leslie Lajoie, Rachel Rabinowitz, Edvina Nesukaityte and Danielle Taylor, crossed the line in 6:34.5.
The Varsity Eight continued its strong season, finished more than five seconds ahead of Tulsa to complete the sweep of events. The boat, which consisted of Olivia Hecimovich, Ashleigh Boyd, Claudia Destefani, Julie Poulsen, Lauren Aiello, Zana Krakic, Marija Medelinskaite, Viktorija Senkute and Mia Cleary, crossed the line in 6:24.8.
UCF earned The American's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, which will take place May 26-28 in West Windsor, N.J. The Knights will make their third straight NCAA appearance.
Final Standings (Points)
1. UCF 217
2. Tulsa 189
3. Sacramento State 119
4. San Diego State 119
5. UConn 118
6. Temple 90
7. SMU 87
