INDIANAPOLIS (UCFKnights.com) – With all three of its boats posting top 20 finishes, the UCF rowing team matched its best team finish at 18th overall at the 2019 NCAA Championship at Eagle Creek Park. UCF’s Varsity Four continued to make history, earning the highest finish by any UCF boat at the NCAA Championship.
The Knights posted their highest point total – 31 – at the championship while collecting their fifth-consecutive top-20 team finish.
“The weekend definitely mirrored the season with a bit of craziness in terms of course conditions. The team continued to be patient and ready for anything. It was a great opportunity to build on everything we’ve worked for and an opportunity to put down some really, really good racing and do some things that UCF has never done before,” UCF head coach Becky Cramer said. “It was awesome to see the team come together and really race their best race of the year.”
One day after qualifying for its first C Final, UCF’s Varsity Four squad of Carlee Hoschouer, Chiara Ciullo, Jessica Matteson, Paula Parks and Amy Van Ryn made history yet again, matching their seed with a 15th-place finish overall.
Battling Wisconsin for the second day in a row, the Knights were among the top two coming down the course. The Badgers held off UCF in the end, but the Black and Gold’s second place finish in the C Final ensured them 15th place overall. The crew’s final time of 7:13.604 was actually the 14th-fastest in the finals and put them across the line nearly four seconds ahead of third-place Iowa.
The Varsity Eight opened the day in the C Final. The squad of Nicole Mayer, Lara Maule, Julie Poulsen, Grace Lindberg, Mia Cleary, Leslie Lajoie, Marija Medelinskaite, Edvina Nesukaityte and Luci Derrick crossed the line in 6:34.395 to match their best finish under Coach Cramer – 18th overall.
The Second Varsity Eight took the lead from the start in the D Final and never looked back. The Knights pushed out to an open water lead on the field and cruised to a 10-second victory for 19th place overall.
The crew of Elena Esteban, Aly Derksen, Lauryn Bench, Maria Yim, Rusne Dziugyte, Shannon Perry, Michaela Gundrum, Rachel Rabinowitz and Abbie Pritchard, crossed the finish line in 6:33.754.