SARASOTA, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The UCF rowing team turned in a solid showing during the NCAA Rowing Championship semifinals on Saturday morning at Nathan Benderson Park.
Due to incoming inclement weather, the morning schedule was moved up, starting the C/D semifinals at 9:22 a.m.. All three of UCF's boats raced in the C/D semifinals.
Needing a third place finish to advance to the C Final, the Varsity Eight, consisting of Nicole Mayer, Lara Maule, Julie Poulsen, Rusne Dziugyte, Marija Medelinskaite, Grace Lindberg, Mia Cleary, Edvina Nesukaityte and Luci Derrick, jumped out to a strong start and sat in third after the first 500 meters.
The squad slipped back into fourth over the next 1,000 meters, but rallied in the final stretch to edge Navy for the final spot in the C Final. The boat crossed the line in 6:43.663.
The Second Varsity Eight, consisting of Catherine Harms, Alyssa Ramos, Ieva Medelinskaite, Michaela Gundrum, Sydney Hays, Magdalena Pasternak, Shannon Perry, Leslie Lajoie and Rachel Rabinowitz, kept Gonzaga in its sights down the course, but was unable to close the gap before crossing the finish line. The squad posted a time of 7:05.566 and will race in the D Final this afternoon.
The Varsity Four, consisting of Elena Esteban, Aly Derksen, Abbie Pritchard, Jessica Matteson and Paula Parks, challenged Syracuse for third place in the semifinals, but was unable to put its bow ball out front crossing the finish line. The squad posted a time of 7:48.199 to advance to the D Final.
Racing will resume at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The V8 will race at 2:56, followed by the 2V8 at 3:12 p.m. The V4 will close out the championships at 3:20 p.m.
All races will be streamed live here. Live results for all events can be found here. The 2018 NCAA Championship Central includes information on tickets, course maps and the official NCAA Program.