SARASOTA, Fla. - The Knights finished the Big Ten Invitational on a positive note with all boats placing among the top three in its races on Saturday morning.
UCF closed out the weekend going up against three teams receiving votes for the latest Pocock Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association poll in Iowa, Notre Dame and Big 12 Conference affiliate member Alabama. The Knights also went against Wisconsin.
“It was a tough three days of racing,” head coach Mara Allen said. “We faced good competition from the crews we went up against. I’m proud of how the athletes handled the ups and downs of the weekend, but there’s always more work to be done.”
The UCF I Eight finished their second trip to Sarasota with the Knights’ best race of the day clocking in at 6:33.537, finishing ahead of Alabama (6:36.212), Iowa (6:36.834), Notre Dame (6:38.991) and Wisconsin (6:42.760). The boat consisted of Julia Going, Ines Martin, Seyene Oord, Brigitte Kapler, Tegan Fookes, Hannah Lovejoy, Aryann Johnson, Liza Lutter and Martyna Wasilewska.
“The first eight had a great race today,” Allen said. “We traded places with Alabama from Friday afternoon to this morning. They’ve got a great program over there. It’s fun to end the regatta with a win, but we know we have our work cut out for us at the Big 12 Championship.”
The Knights II Four and II Eight capped off their weekend with second-place finishes.
The II Four consisting of Sophie Tursi, Meagan Lukavec, Izzy Bate, Amber Tulloch and Melody Summers finished behind Iowa (7:29.590) and ahead of Notre Dame (7:36.083), Wisconsin (7:36.518) and Alabama (7:38.328).
The II Eight crossed the finish line with a time of 6:45.291, two seconds behind Alabama (6:43.018). UCF finished ahead of Iowa (6:49.904), Notre Dame (6:50.397) and Wisconsin (6:52.073) with a boat consisting of Mackenzie Harrod, Tash Voulanas, Coralie Detre, Maja Misljenovic, Veronica Rush, Veronica Rush, Aubrie Russo, Charlotte Wiley, Martina Pischedda, Martyna Wasilewska.
The I Four closed its weekend with a third-place finish behind Notre Dame (7:22.470) and Alabama (7:25.471). With a time of 7:27.423, the boat consisting of Audrey Vilendrer, Annberlee Hothem, Mal Thorsen, Amber Tulloch, Izzy Bate finished ahead of Iowa (7:35.729) and Wisconsin (7:42.084).
The Knights will have their shortest break of the season ahead of their longest road trip as they travel up to Raleigh, North Carolina, for the Lake Wheeler Invitational. This will be UCF’s fifth Lake Wheeler regatta, which will be on April 26 and 27. Last season, the Knights’ II Four took home American Athletic Conference Boat of the Week after its performance.