SARASOTA, Fla. – For a second year in a row, the No. 14 UCF rowing team secured five straight first-place finishes in all heats the Knights competed in on the day, sending every boat to tomorrow morning’s Grand Finals.
The Black and Gold secured each win with open water to spare on Friday afternoon at Nathan Benderson Park, never trailing to another program once.
The day began with the Second 4+ race consisting of coxswain Eliza Shaffer along with Natasjia Voulanas, Claire Kaminski, Tea Zivkovic and Aisling Landers. With two freshmen in the boat, the Knights crossed the finish with an 11.88 advantage over the next closest boat, taking first-place with a time of 07:35.65. The race consisted of the most representation of the Big 12 all day with the Knights joined by Tulsa and Old Dominion.
Shortly after, the first eights race of the day took off with the Third 8+ coxed by Hana Garey. The boat consisted of Morgan Northey at the stroke seat followed by Sidney Norman, Makayla Baxkley, Izzy Bate, Kendall Bovino, Vilma Kangasmaki, Sofia Palacios and Karin Kudmani. The nine-person boat took first place in the only race of the day with five teams, claiming the win at 06:54.46.
The First 4+ was next to take to the water, claiming the top spot at 07:25.71. The top fours boat that held coxswain Vianna Smith as well as Kesha Bruinette, Olivia Werner, Sophia Keller and Amber Tulloch crossed the line 12.01 seconds ahead of second-place Iowa at the finish.
The Knights continued to charge through the competition as the Second 8+ continued the winning ways, coming in at 06:37.83, ahead of six other programs including past opponents in Iowa and Jacksonville as well as fellow Big 12 member, West Virginia. The boat of nine held coxswain Sophia Tursi, Sofia Scott, Maja Misljenovic, Bella Montalvo, Maci Brede, Julia Schultz, Lexi Sanchez, Luna Kuiper and rounded out with Lujza Kovacs.
With a sweep of all heats on the line, the First 8+ delivered the highest margin of victory on the day. With a 12.25 second advantage over the nearest crew in Iowa’s top boat, the Knights secured the final win of the day to send all UCF crews to tomorrow’s A Finals. The boat was coxed by senior Audrey Vilendrer alongside Sofia Naboni Nevado, Ines Martin, Coralie Detre, Lucy Buckingham, Madison Lovejoy, Brigitte Kappler, Amalie Thorsen and Hannah Lovejoy sitting in the bow seat.
TOMORROW’S SCHEDULE
The Second 4+ will be first to compete in a Grand Final, beginning the day for the Knights at 8:20 a.m. Following the first race for the Knights, the Third 8+ will follow suit in their respective race 20 minutes later at 8:40 a.m.
The First 4+ will be next to take to the water with their Grand Final beginning almost an hour later at 9:50 a.m. At 10:20 a.m., the Second 8+ will begin the penultimate race for the Black and Gold. The final race of the day is slated to begin at 11:50 a.m. with the First 8+ closing out the day for UCF.
ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program, representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.
