SARASOTA, Fla. – The Knights’ rowing team capped off their season with a fourth-place finish at the Big 12 Championship Sunday morning at Nathan Benderson Park.
UCF finished its inaugural Big 12 Championship with 72 points, four points shy of third place and No. 19 Alabama’s 76 points. Taking home its ninth consecutive Big 12 title was No. 1 Texas, who led the way with 112 points followed by No. 5 Tennessee with 98. Oklahoma’s 56 points, Kansas’s 35 points, Kansas State’s 34 points, and West Virginia’s 21 points rounded out the competition.
Two Knights became the program’s first Big 12 All-Conference recipients with senior Seyene Oord and Aryann Johnson taking home the honors.
“Each boat came in with a plan to put up their best effort, and that’s exactly what everyone did,” head coach Mara Allen said. “I am proud of how well the team improved over the course of the year. Our seniors ended on a great note, and we are ready to take an even bigger step in the future.”
The highlight of the day for the Knights came from a third-place finish by the Knights’ II Eight. The boat consisting of Mackenzie Harrod, Tash Voulanas, Coralie Detre, Maja Misljenovic, Veronica Rush, Mal Thorsen, Charlotte Wiley, Aubrie Russo and Martina Pischedda crossed the finish line at 6:26.079 behind Texas (6:08.884) and Tennessee (6:10.993). Oklahoma finished fourth with a time of 6:37.293 followed by Alabama (6:38.869), Kansas State (6:53.162), Kansas (6:58.667) and West Virginia (6:59.249).
The I Four fell just a second shy of Alabama (7:05.608) with a time of 7:06.912 to take fourth. Texas posted a time of 6:50.305 followed by Tennessee at 6:56.414. The boat consisting of Audrey Vilendrer, Connery Cassidy, Annberlee Hothem, Claire Kaminski and Amber Tulloch finished ahead of Kansas State (7:12.282), Kansas (7:33.798), Oklahoma (7:35.704) and West Virginia (7:40.538).
The UCF I Eight consisting of Julia Going, Ines Martin, Seyene Oord, Hannah Lovejoy, Aryann Johnson, Brigitte Kappler, Tegan Fookes, Liza Lutter and Martyna Wasilewska placed fourth with a time of 6:37.476 behind Texas (6:08.714), Tennessee (6:15.334) and Alabama (6:28.320). The Knights finished ahead of Oklahoma (6:41.473), Kansas (6:45.769), West Virginia (6:49.972) and Kansas State (6:50.256).
The UCF III Four finished fourth clocking in at 7:56.666 ahead of Alabama (7:58.305) and behind Texas (7:27.842), Tennessee (7:32.690) and Oklahoma (7:47.267). The boat consisted of Angelina Hassan, Ashley Tree, Emily Larochelle, Cate Maloney and Chloe Villani.
The Knights’ III Eight consisting of Elsa Cassellius, Bailey White, Reese Springer, Saskia Papsova, Alexa Konowal, Karin Kudmani, Lexi Sanchez, Alina Tasman and Makayla Baxley took sixth with a time of 6:49.974. UCF finished ahead of Kansas’s time of 7:04.640 and West Virginia’s finish of 7:19.754. Texas (6:29.146), Tennessee (6:35.268), Alabama (6:44.391), Kansas State (6:46.520) and Oklahoma (6:48.647) finished ahead.
The Knights will look to make their mark in a new-look Big 12 with Texas, Tennessee and Alabama set to depart. Tulsa and Old Dominion will join the conference starting next season.