Alabama Rowing Wins Three of Five Races to Begin Weekend at FIRA Rowing Regatta
3/31/2017 6:41:00 PM | Rowing
SARASOTA, Fla. – Alabama rowing got off to a strong start at this weekend's FIRA Rowing Regatta, winning three of its five races along with top-five finishes in the remaining two.
"I thought we did a great job stepping up against good competition in unfavorable conditions," UA Head Coach Larry Davis said. "We have faced some adverse conditions this year, most recently in Virginia against Bucknell, and we are learning to handle these conditions better."
With heavy winds and tough weather affecting the course, especially the second half, the Crimson Tide crews handled themselves exceptionally well. Alabama opened competition with a win in the Second Varsity 4+, finishing in 7:31.7, before the First Varsity 4+ followed suit with another win in its race, crossing the line in 7:24.2.
Alabama's third win of the day came in the Third Varsity 8+, with the "A" boat posting a 6:55.9 finish, just seconds ahead of the second-place Kansas State boat in 6:57.04. The Tide's "B" boat placed third in 7:01.44.
"The 4s performed really well today," Davis said. "We'll need to make sure they're on their numbers tomorrow. The other teams started making late pushes in the races and we held them off and today, but we'll need to do the same tomorrow. The Third Varsity 8+ was a very close, back-and-forth race."
Alabama's First Varsity 8+ placed third in its race, posting a 6:38.6 finish trailing UCF and Tulsa. The top three crews were the only ones in the race to finish under 6:40.0. Alabama's Second Varsity 8+ finished fifth in 7:01.36.
"We had a couple errors where we flubbed a few strokes where we could have made a push," Davis said about the First and Second Varsity 8+. "Those probably cost us a few seconds in the 1v8+. The 2v8+ struggled a bit after the first 1,000 meters with choppy water and wind.
"Overall though, it was a really good day against good competition. There are some things we can do better tomorrow but, against a tough slate of competition, I thought we performed really well."
Alabama concludes its weekend with another series of races on Saturday. The First Varsity 8+ opens events at 8 a.m. ET followed by the Second Varsity 8+ (8:36 a.m. ET), Third Varsity 8+ (9:12 a.m. ET), First Varsity 4+ (9:48 a.m. ET) and Second Varsity 4+ (10:12 a.m. ET).
Friday Results – Alabama
Second Varsity 4+: 1st – 7:31.7
- Lineup: Erin Hayes (Cox), Lydia Blount (4), Leslie Feriozzi (3), Abby Wohler (2), Abby Marks (1)
First Varsity 4+: 1st - 7:24.2
- Lineup: Claire Estep (Cox), Rachel Sowell (4), Rebekah Stewart (3), Virginia Dodenhoff (2), Sarah Giuliani (1)
Third Varsity 8+:
- A: 1st – 6:55.9
- Lineup: Sydney Boles (Cox), Kylie Diffley (8), Danielle Kem (7), Arielle Schafer (6), Allie Pospisil (5), Ariana Sweany (4), Hailey Higgins (3), Olivia DeGroot (2), Lauren Fehr (1)
- B: 3rd – 7:01.44
- Lineups: Elle Anderson (Cox), Meghan Hampton (8), Gabby Sprio (7), Olivia Miller (6), Becca McGinn (5), Alex Griffith (4), Victoria Kacsits (3), Anne Lehmann (2), Tressa Vitus (1)
Second Varsity 8+: 5th – 7:01.36
- Lineup: Shannon Sweatt (Cox), Jackie Guezille (8), Laura Egeland (7), Maggie Gillespie (6), Makena Clark (5), Carley McCoin (4), Katie Toth (3), Gaby Crawford (2), Cheyenne Adams (1)
First Varsity 8+: 3rd – 6:38
- Lineup: Emily Navin (Cox), Raien Emery (8), Nicole Lane (7), Charlotte Adkins (6), Tayla Cabana (5), Peyton Cowell (4), Monica McGraw (3), Lindsey Taylor (2), Jennifer Parker (1).
For the latest information on Alabama rowing, follow the team on Twitter and Instagram at AlabamaRow or like us on Facebook at Alabama Rowing. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
