PRINCETON, N.J. – The No. 11 rowing team closed out the regular season in a race against No. 7 Princeton and No. 20 Pennsylvania at Lake Carnegie, taking one win and three second-place finishes.
The Knights opened the day with a battle, sending out the First 8+ to start the day. The Black and Gold boat consisted of coxswain Audrey Vilendrer alongside Sofia Naboni Nevado, Ines Martin, Luna Kuiper, Lucy Buckingham, Coralie Detre, Brigitte Kappler, Amalie Thorsen and Hannah Lovejoy. The eleventh-ranked UCF crew fought with the seventh-ranked Princeton crew throughout the entire 2000 meters, ultimately filing in just seven seconds shy of the Tigers with a time of 06:49.1. The Knights come out on top of the No. 20 Quakers with open-water as they clocked in a time of 07:01.3.
The Second 8+, coxed by Sophia Tursi and sitting rowers Sofia Scott, Maja Misljenovic, Bella Montalvo, Maci Brede, Olivia Werner, Lexi Sanchez, Madison Lovejoy and Lujza Kovacs saw a similar result to the race prior to theirs. The finish was the same with Princeton taking the top spot at 06:53.1, UCF slotting in second at 07:07.6 and Pennsylvania coming in third at 07:07.9.
The First 4+ was the first crew of five to hit the water, consisting of coxswain Vianna Smith with Kesha Bruinette, Julia Schultz, Sophia Keller and Amber Tulloch. The boat was off to a slow start, trailing behind both crews, however the Knights stepped on the gas approximately five minutes into the race, taking the top position. After topping the fellow top-20 crews in the second half of the race, UCF didn’t look back, securing an open-water win at 07:57.1 ahead of Princeton’s 08:02.1 and Penn’s 08:02.8.
The last boat to hit the course was the Second 4+ that held coxswain Eliza Shaffer as well as rowers Cate Maloney, Tea Zivkovic, Aisling Landers and Sofia Palacios. The Knights had the lead for the first three minutes of the race, but couldn’t sustain the push from the Tigers, finishing second at 07:58.3 behind Princeton’s 07:52.7. The Quakers filed in after the two crew at 08:30.6
UP NEXT
The Knights now turn their attention to the Big 12 Championships where they will look to retain their conference title at Nathan Benderson Park on May 17.
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.