Alabama
FIRA Rowing Regatta
Alabama Rowing Medals Four, Three Gold, to Close Weekend at FIRA Rowing Regatta
4/1/2017 1:22:00 PM | Rowing
SARASOTA, Fla. – After a strong start to the weekend's races yesterday, Alabama followed that up with another strong day of racing Saturday at the FIRA Rowing Regatta, posting four medal finishes, including three gold.
"Everybody was stepping up their game today with the hunt for medals," UA Head Coach Larry Davis said. "Overall I think that everyone had a pretty solid day today. Everyone was stronger all-around it was a great wo days of racing. We have a lot of young ladies and some who walked on to the team and with the progress they've already made so far, we're excited about the prospects of what we can do the rest of the season. We have shown we can start running with this level of competition and we're excited about that."
In total, Alabama won six races this weekend and posted nine top-three finishes with no boat finishing lower than fifth place.
"It was one of our strongest overall team performances in quite some time, especially against the tough competition," Davis said. "We can enjoy it for about 24 or 48 hours before having to get right back to work."
After a third-place finish yesterday, Alabama's First Varsity 8+ started Saturday's races with another third-place finish, winning bronze with a time of 6:39.1 at the front of a very tight pack including Tulsa in 6:40.9 and Kansas State in 6:41.6. Alabama's First and Second Varsity 4+ matched their first-place finishes from yesterday with winning marks on Saturday, taking gold with times of 7:32.0 and 7:33.4, respectively. The Tide's First Varsity 4+ finished three seconds ahead of the rest of the field while the Second Varsity 4+ had a four-second lead over its competition.
Alabama's third gold medal of the day came in the Third Varsity 8+, as the "A" boat matched Friday's first-place finish with a win on Saturday, crossing the line in 6:59.2 as the only boat in the race to post a time under 7:00.0. The Tide's "B" boat finished just out of medal contention, placing fourth in 7:12.1. Alabama's Second Varsity 8+ posted a fifth-place finish in its race, earning a 6:57.5 time, an improvement of four seconds over Friday's time.
Next up, Alabama will compete against a slate of conference foes at the Big XII Double Dual Regatta in Oak Ridge, Tenn., on Saturday, April 8. The Tide will race against Tennessee, West Virginia and Old Dominion on Melton Lake starting at 9 a.m. ET.
"Part of the purpose of next week is to see some Big XII crews ahead of the conference championships in May," Davis said. "We haven't had a chance to see these teams but based on our performances against teams like this week, we're excitedly looking forward to next week and we have expectations of having really solid races next Saturday. We have high hopes to go out and win the races that will have us seeded high in the conference."
Weekend Results – Alabama
Second Varsity 4+
- Friday: 1st – 7:31.7
- Saturday: 1st – 7:33.4
- Lineup: Erin Hayes (Cox), Lydia Blount (4), Leslie Feriozzi (3), Abby Wohler (2), Abby Marks (1)
First Varsity 4+
- Friday: 1st - 7:24.2
- Saturday: 1st – 7:32.0
- Lineup: Claire Estep (Cox), Rachel Sowell (4), Rebekah Stewart (3), Virginia Dodenhoff (2), Sarah Giuliani (1)
Third Varsity 8+:
"A" Boat
- Friday: 1st – 6:55.9
- Saturday: 1st – 6:59.2
- 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" Boat
- Friday: 3rd – 7:01.44
- Saturday: 4th – 7:12.1
- 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 - Friday), Katie Scott (1 - Saturday)
Second Varsity 8+
- Friday: 5th – 7:01.36
- Saturday: 5th - 6:57.5
- 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+
- Friday: 3rd – 6:38.0
- Saturday: 3rd – 6:39.1
- 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).
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