Rowing Finishes Fifth at Big 12 Championships
5/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - Competing in five Grand Final races on Sunday, Alabama closed out its inaugural Big 12 Championship with 22 points, good for a fifth-place finish which is the highest conference finish in program history. Texas claimed the league title with 48 points, earning the Big 12's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.
"We knew we had good depth this year and the points total at the end of today really showed that," said Head Coach Larry Davis. "We knew Texas would be really good at the top but overall we were much more competitive than in years past. We've shown the ability to come together and compete as a team and we've moved up quite a bit within the conference.
"This weekend was a big step forward in the program. I knew that if we did well we could compete in the middle of the pack and that's just what we did."
For her efforts over the weekend, Tide senior Maureen Purcell was named to the All-Big 12 Rowing team. She has competed all season as a member of Alabama's First Varsity 8 boat.
"Maureen is really a model for how we want to build this program," said Davis. "She started her career here with modest experience and really caught fire in the middle of her career. She rowed over the summers for some really good clubs and that helped her tremendously. The expectations as a program are higher now and she showed that with dedication and a great work ethic, you can really improve yourself as a rower. She took the initiative to do so and it really showed with her contribution to the team. She is certainly deserving of the award and she has been a great asset to this team."
Alabama's Second Varsity 8 and Third Varsity 8 boats notched the highest finishes of the day for the Tide, both placing fourth in their races. The 2V8 turned in the fastest time of the day as well, crossing the line in 7:06.80, while the 3V8 finished the 2,000-meter course in 7:29.10. Alabama's First and Second Varsity 4s and its First Varsity 8 all placed sixth with times of 8:09.13, 8:02.54 and 7:13.91, respectively.
With the team title, Texas earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships while the rest of the at-large field will be announced on Tuesday, May 19 at 4 p.m. CT live on NCAA.com.
Team Results
- 1. Texas - 48
- 2. Oklahoma - 36
- 3. Tennessee - 34
- 4. Kansas State - 32
- T5. Alabama - 22
- T5. Kansas - 22
- 7. West Virginia - 16
- 8. Old Dominion - 6
Alabama Results
3rd Varsity 8 - 4th - 7:29.10
Lineup: Erin Hays (Cox), Lexy Shannon (8), Erin Delaney (7), Miller Tuohy (6), Allie Pospisil (5), Katie Scott (4), Gabby Sprio (3), Meghan Hampton (2), Maddie Evans (1)
2nd Varsity 4 - 6th - 8:09.13
Lineup: Kendall Scullion (Cox), Nura Husesin (4), Rachel Henderson (3), Lindsey Taylor (2), Katie Chambers (1).
1st Varsity 4 - 6th - 8:02.54
Lineup: Emily Navin (Cox), Courtney Atkinson (4), Tayla Cabana (3), Olivia Miller (2), Melissa Etter (1).
2nd Varsity 8 - 4th - 7:06.80
Lineup: Elizabeth Van Zandt (Cox), Maggie Gillespie (8), Abi Palmer (7), Charlotte Adkins (6), Rachel Palmer (5), Madeline Kuntz (4), Ali Smith (3), Ashley Allison (2), Abby Marks (1).
1st Varsity 8 - 6th - 7:13.91
Lineup: Zoe Lynch (Cox), Alyssa Drevenak (8), Maureen Purcell (7), Olivia Dennis (6), Nicole Lane (5), Leslie Feriozzi (4), Logan O'Neil (3), Jennifer Parker (2), Joyce Auguste (1).
Players Mentioned
