SARASOTA, Fla. - The UCF rowing team finished with five second-place finishes at the Big 10 Invitational this weekend at Nathan Benderson Park.
April 7 Morning Races
UCF opened the regatta with a second-place time of 6:45.435 from the Second Varsity Eight. The boat, consisting of Julia Going, Connery Cassidy, Lindsey Buckreis, Lauren Montgomery, Annberlee Hothem, Aryann Johnson, Hannah Lovejoy, Natasjia Voulanas and Emily Klysen, finished two seconds shy of UCLA (6:47.788).
The Knight's Varsity Eight squad consisting of Mackenzie Harrod, Emily Puia, Seyene Oord, Tegan Fookes, Emma Leavens, Charlotte Wiley, Kelly Brown, Anna Kayser Gallego, Georgia Coyne placed fourth with a time of 6:48.775.
Starting the day for the fours, the Second Varsity Four squad finished second behind UCLA in 7:31.175. The crew consisted of Sofia Soria, Bailey White, Aubrie Russo, Avery Bethel and Meagan Lukavec. The Knights' Varsity Four boat consisting of Sophia Troia, Saskia Papsova, Martina Pischedda, Veronica Rush and Martyna Wasilewska also finished behind the Bruins in second at 7:16.727.
The Third Varsity Eight finished with a time of 7:05.957, behind Michigan State and ahead of Minnesota. The crew consisted of Elsa Cassellius, Emily LaRochelle, Melody Summers, Carolina Dovali, Ashley Tree, Chloe Villani, Cate Maloney, Brande Fox and Jordan Simeon.
April 7 Afternoon Races
The 2V8 boat kicked off the afternoon races coming in fourth with a 6:57.117 behind Brown, Indiana and Wisconsin. Immediately following, the Varsity Eight recorded a 6:57.021 clocking to finish fourth behind Brown, Indiana and Wisconsin.
The 2V4 crew finished third behind Indiana and Wisconsin with a 7:52.101. The Varsity Four finished just under a second behind Indiana to take third with Brown coming in first and Wisconsin rounding out the race.
The Knights' Third Varsity Eight boat finished the day for the team coming in third behind Wisconsin and Indiana with a time of 7:35.36. The boat saw some changes heading into the afternoon race with a lineup consisting of Audrey Vilendrer, Emily LaRochelle, Ashley Tree, Carolina Dovali, Melody Summers, Carolann Beck, Talyah Madison, Ashley Tyles and Jordan Simeon.
April 8 Races
The Knights saw improvement with their boats on the last day of races compared to Friday afternoon's showing.
The Knights' 2V8 squad finished just over one-second shy behind Iowa for third place with a time of 6:39.548, its best time of the weekend. Tennessee led the way and Michigan State followed behind UCF for fourth place.
The V8 finished with a time of 6:35.415 to finish third behind Iowa and Tennessee. Michigan State rounded out the race under a second behind UCF.
The Second Varsity Four boat took third just under an hour later with a 7:31.987. The boat finished behind Tennessee and Iowa and ahead of Michigan State.
The V4 followed with UCF's strongest showing of the day, taking second place in 7:12.611. The boat battled with first-place Iowa throughout the race, but eventually, the Hawkeyes pulled ahead late. Tennessee and Michigan State followed UCF to take third and fourth place, respectively.
To close out the day, the 3V8, consisting of Cassellius, LaRochelle, Tree, Dovali, Summers, Villani, Maloney, Fox and Simeon, finished fourth behind Michigan State, Iowa and Tennessee.
The Knights will have a week off before the team travels north to Raleigh, North Carolina, for the April 21-22 Lake Wheeler Invite. The Knights will continue their road trip by going out west to Eugene, Oregon, for the Oregon State Invite on April 29.
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