Providence, R.I. – Seven of the eight BIG EAST rowing teams were in action last week and some impressive performances were turned in. Rutgers’ varsity eight won the Murphy Cup, Louisville’s varsity eight earned a win over No. 16 Tennessee and Georgetown’s varsity eight reclaimed the Class of 2006 Cup against North Carolina. Both Louisville and Notre Dame are receiving votes in the top 25 this week. Six BIG EAST teams are in the water this weekend. The 2011 BIG EAST Rowing Championships will be held at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J. on May 1.
Where they will be this week…
vs. Marist, Trinity, Coast Guard and La Salle, April 2-3 (Coventry, Conn.): Connecticut
San Diego Crew Classic, April 2 (San Diego, Calif.): Georgetown
vs. Princeton and Navy, April 2 (Raritan River): Rutgers
vs. Yale and Cornell, April 2 (Derby, Conn.): Syracuse
Occoquan Sprints, April 3(Fairfax Station, Va.): West Virginia
Idle: Louisville, Notre Dame
Connecticut:Connecticut competed in the annual Yankee Cup event on March 26 in Kingston, R.I. Conditions were extremely rough with a strong headwind. The rough conditions caused UConn's second varsity eight and varsity four-A to catch boat-stopping crabs, which made a major impact in the outcome of the race. The varsity four led the race for 1000 meters before catching the crab. The crew’s varsity eight placed third in their race with a time of 8:03.72.
Connecticut hosts Marist, Trinity and Coast Guard on April 2 before taking on Marist and La Salle on April 3.
Georgetown: Georgetown reclaimed the Class of 2006 Cup after the Hoyas’ first varsity eight defeated North Carolina on the Potomac River. It was the first time the Hoyas have won the cup since 2008. GU also claimed victory in the second, third and fourth varsity eight races as well as the varsity four race.
Georgetown's first varsity eight, consisting of coxswain Victoria Stulgis, stroke Amanda Savage, Lindsey Bragg, Kayla McNeill, Erin Landy, Dasha Ryaboshapka, Erin Carter, Sydney LeGuyader and bow Haley Allen finished in a time of 6:12.5, defeating the Tar Heels' first varsity eight by just under two seconds.
Louisville:Louisville’s varsity eight earned a victory over No. 16 Tennessee in a dual meet on March 26. The crew finished the course in 6:31, more than two seconds clear of the Lady Volunteers. It marked the second-straight win for Louisville’s varsity eight boat over a top-20 team following last week’s triumph over No. 10 Wisconsin.
Louisville takes a week off before competing against Ohio and Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio on April 9.
Notre Dame: Notre Dame earned three race victories against Indiana, Purdue and Eastern Michigan on March 27 at the Eagle Creek Reservoir in Indianapolis, Ind. The Irish varsity four as well as the second and third varsity eight boats turned in wins. The varsity four boat of Christina Dines, Kiersten DeHaven, Joanna Poinsatte, Sarah McShane and Ching-Ting Hwang notched a 13-second win in the first race of the day, crossing the line in 7:56.0.
The Irish return to the water in three weeks when they head to the Gold River Challenge on April 16-17 in Sacramento, Calf.
Rutgers:Rutgers opened the 2011 season with a varsity eight victory at the Murphy Cup in Philadelphia, Pa., on March 27. After winning their heat, the Scarlet Knights went on to win the final with a time of 6:38.3 to beat out St. Joseph’s, Navy, Drexel, Bucknell and Fordham. The crew won by a margin of one seat of open water.
The team hosts Princeton and Navy on April 2.
Syracuse: Syracuse opened the spring season at the Kittell Cup, an annual dual meet with Boston University held on the Charles River. The Orange won the third varsity eight race, but lost in the first and second varsity eight races. Syracuse’s third varsity eight team beat the Terriers by 12 seconds, crossing the line in 8:23.12.
The Boston varsity eight won the Kittell Cup by three second, finishing the course in 7:53. The Kittell Cup goes to the winner of the annual Syracuse-Boston University varsity eight race. Donated by former SU rower Kristin Bidwell '90, the Kittell Cup is named after former associate director of athletics Janet Kittell for her support of the women's rowing program.
The Orange will travel to Derby, Conn., to take on defending National Champion Yale and rival Cornell on April 2.
Villanova: Villanova opened its season with races against Drexel and La Salle on March 19. The Wildcats came away with two wins in the five races.
Four boats - including two from Villanova - competed in the varsity four race and the top boat for the Wildcats crossed the finish line with a time of 7:12.1 to register a seven-second margin of victory over Drexel and the two other boats. The second Villanova boat finished with a time of 7:30.72, while La Salle came in fourth in 7:42.43.
The team next competes in the Murphy Cup on March 26 in Philadelphia, Pa.
West Virginia: The Mountaineers did not compete last week. In its first race,West Virginia opened its season against North Carolina and George Mason on March 19 in Raleigh, N.C. WVU’s varsity eight led the Mountaineers with a second-place finish in a time of 7:13.00.
West Virginia is next at the Occoquan Sprints on Fairfax Station, Va., on April 3.
