WEST WINDSOR, N.J. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF rowing team placed both eights in the C Final of the NCAA Championships during the Saturday morning semifinal on Lake Mercer. UCF's Varsity Four advanced to the D Final.
The Varsity Eight advanced to its first C Final since the 2015 championships with a third place finish in the second semifinal. The squad, consisting of Olivia Hecimovich, Ashleigh Boyd, Claudia Destefani, Julie Poulsen, Lauren Aiello, Zana Krakic, Marija Medelinskaite, Viktorija Senkute and Mia Cleary, made a final push to hold off Gonzaga and crossed the line in 6:29.234.
Advancing to its first C Final appearance, the Second Varsity Eight put distance between itself and Notre Dame down the stretch to finish second in the first semifinal. The boat, consisting of Catherine Harms, Rachael Klunder, Jasmine Blais, Anna Mahoney, Ivana Krkljus, Leslie Lajoie, Rachel Rabinowitz, Edvina Nesukaityte and Danielle Taylor, posted a time of 6:44.356.
The Varsity Four battled for a top three finish in its morning semifinal, but was unable to make the final push and finished fourth. The squad, consisting of Nicole Mayer, Aly Derksen, Shannon Perry, Grace Lindberg and Paula Parks, crossed the line in 7:35.784.
The V8 and 2V8 will race for places 13-18 on Sunday, while the V4 races for 19-22. The V4 will open the final day of competition at 8:12 a.m., followed by the 2V8 at 8:48 a.m. The V8 closes out the NCAA Championships at 9:12 a.m.
