ORLANDO – The No. 11 rowing team had a strong showing at the first day of the Inaugural Orlando Invite sending five of six boats to tomorrow’s Grand Finals on Lake Pickett.
The day of racing began with the Third 8+ hitting the course. The boat consisted of coxswain Hana Garey alongside Morgan Northey at the stroke seat, Aisling Landers, Kendall Bovino, Izzy Bate, Sofia Palacios, Cate Maloney, Makayla Baxley and rounded out by Alina Tasman. The Knights’ boat was the second to cross the finish, just 1.7 seconds off of Penn, clocking in at 06:38.9 following the Quakers’ 06:36.9. Miami followed both crews at a time of 06:51.5.
The next down the course was the Fourth 8+, tabbed UCF B. The representation from the Black and Gold followed Duke, SMU and Alabama, clocking in at 06:57.7. The crew was complied by Cecelia Britten, Edie Herndon, Sidney Norman, Krista Gretz, Avery Weiner, Deanna Jones, Karin Kudmani, Alexa Konowal and Gabbie Nichols.
The Knights’ top boat, the First 8+, was the next boat of nine to take to the water. The crew was the first of the day to take first place for the Black and Gold, crossing the line at 06:15.5. Miami was next down the course at 06:18.9, with Penn following at 06:21.2 and Clemson at 06:25.6. The boat was coxed by Audrey Vilendrer alongside Sofia Naboni Nevado, Ines Martin, Luna Kuiper, Lucy Buckingham, Madison Lovejoy, Brigitte Kappler, Amalie Thorsen and Hannah Lovejoy.
The final eight to go out on day one was the Second 8+ which sat coxswain Sophia Tursi with Sofia Scott, Maja Misljenovic, Bella Montalvo, Maci Brede, Coralie Detre, Lexi Sanchez, Olivia Werner and Lujza Kovacs. The last boat of nine to head down the course took the second first-place finish of the day for the Knights. The crew clocked in at 06:25.5 with Miami slotting in second at 06:27.1, followed by Penn and Clemson at 06:30.8 and 06:39.8 respectively.
The fours took to the Lake Pickett waters next with the First 4+ leading the charge. The crew of five included coxswain Vianna Smith who sat alongside Kesha Bruinette, Julia Schultz, Sophia Keller and Amber Tulloch at the bow. The Knights’ top four boat took the first open-water win for the Black and Gold, finishing with a time of 07:09.9 ahead of Penn, Miami and Clemson respectively. The Quakers clocked in with a time of 07:13.8 while the Hurricanes crossed at 07:18.7 and the finished Tigers at 07:34.7.
The final race of the day brought another first-place finish for the Knights in the Second 4+. The boat consisted of Eliza Shaffer in the coxswain seat with Vilma Kangasmaki, Tea Zivkovic, Claire Kaminski and Natasjia filling in the rest of the boat. The crew of five clocked in the first-place finish at 07:19.6 while Miami followed behind at 07:21.5 and the Oklahoma crews, classified as A and B, slotted in at 07:35.6 and 07:37.7.
With the successful showing at Lake Pickett, all UCF boats but one advance to tomorrow’s Grand Finals. The Fourth 8+ will be the lone boat to compete in a Petite Final, racing at 7:40 a.m. Friday morning. The Third 8+ will begin the string of Grand Finals for the Knights, racing at 8:00 a.m. with the remaining Black and Gold boats taking to the water every 40 minutes following.
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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.