SARASOTA, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF rowing team continued its strong weekend on the water at the Sunshine State Invite at Nathan Benderson Park on Saturday morning.
Four of UCF’s boats advanced to the grand final, and the Knights collected five top-three finishes on the day.
The Second Varsity Eight squad of Elena Esteban, Lara Maule, Aly Derksen, Rusne Dziugyte, Michaela Gundrum, Shannon Perry, Amy Van Ryn, Paula Parks and Rachel Rabinowitz, opened the day with a third place finish, crossing the line in 6:44.91.
The Varsity Eight boat of Nicole Mayer, Julie Poulsen, Grace Lindberg, Luci Derrick, Leslie Lajoie, Marija Medelinskaite, Edvina Nesukaityte, Mia Cleary, Abbie Pritchard, crossed the line just behind No. 18 Alabama and RV Louisville to finish third in 6:35.43.
The Third Varsity Eight, consisting of Taylor Jenko, Lauren Roman, Sophia Lopez, Emily Puia, Carina Rodriguez, McKenna Williams, Alexis Alonso, Nivia Garcia and Liz Isom, improved its finish from Friday, finishing in 7:13.85.
The Second Varsity Four “B” squad of Ciera Jarrett, Jacinta Kendall, Jordan Jahosky, Eileen Acken and Caitlin Ross, dropped more than three seconds off its heats time to finish just behind Alabama for second in the petite final with a time of 7:4824.
The Second Varsity Four “A”, consisting of Jillian Jernas, Tatum Cox, Sydney Hays, Grace Trujillo and Amy Licht, rowed to a third place finish in the grand final with a time of 7:40.07.
The Varsity Four boat of Carlee Hoschouer, Lauryn Bench, Chiara Ciullo, Jessica Matteson and Maria Yim continued its dominant weekend, following its Friday heat win with a grand final title on Saturday morning. UCF crossed the line in 7:21.30, nearly five seconds ahead of Alabama to take the victory.
Next up, the Knights will head to the Carolinas for back-to-back weekends, beginning with the Clemson Invite April 19-20.
Results
2V8 Grand Final
1. Alabama 6:40.20
2. Kansas State 6:43.08
3. UCF 6:44.91
4. SMU 6:46.14
5. Kansas 6:5145
6. Tulsa 6:52.49
V8 Grand Final
1. Alabama 6:30.20
2. Louisville 6:33.42
3. UCF 6:35.43
4. Kansas State 6:37.82
5. Kansas 6:38.88
6. SMU 6:39.61
3V8 Final
1. Alabama 6:52.50
2. Kansas State 6:59.72
3. Kansas 7:12.59
4. UCF 7:13.85
5. Clemson 7:20.37
6. Jacksonville 7:36.72
7. Miami 7:42.42
2V4 Petite Final
1. Alabama B 7:47.90
2. UCF B 7:48.24
3. Tulsa 7:50.32
4. Jacksonville 8:01.13
5. Clemson 8:10.70
6. Old Dominion 8:30.63
2V4 Grand Final
1. Alabama A 7:33.10
2. Kansas State 7:38.89
3. UCF A 7:40.07
4. Miami 7:43.34
5. Louisville 7:44.73
6. SMU 7:45.33
7. Kansas 7:47.45
8. TEAM 7:59.02
V4 Grand Final
1. UCF 7:21.30
2. Alabama 7:26.09
3. Kansas State 7:27.20
4. Tulsa 7:31.31
5. Louisville 7:33.27
6. SMU 7:44.19