I Eights Advance to Petite Final, II Eights and Fours Progress to C Final at 2021 NCAA Rowing Championship

SARASOTA, Fla. – The Alabama rowing team saw continued improvement on its race times at the 2021 NCAA Rowing Championship Saturday in Sarasota, Fla., as the I Eights rowed a semifinal time good enough to qualify for Sunday's petite final, while both the II Eights and the Fours progressed to the C final. The regatta's final races will take place Sunday with the Crimson Tide's first event slated for 7:24 a.m. CT.

Competing in the Tide's solo A-B semifinals of the day, the I Eights crew crossed the finish line of heat one with a fifth-place finish of 6:28.449, earning a lane to compete in the petite final Sunday at 9:36 a.m. CT.

The II Eights and the Fours each competed in the C-D semifinals of their respective events this morning and both boats earned their fastest times of the regatta thus far. In heat one of the C-D semifinals, the 2V8+ rallied for a second-place in 6:37.843. Also in heat one of the C-D semifinals, the V4+ finished second in 7:20.709. The Fours and the II Eights progressed to the C final in their respective events, scheduled to start Sunday at 7:24 a.m. CT and 7:48 a.m. CT, respectively.

FROM HEAD COACH GLENN PUTYRAE

"As I told them team, we have all identified places where we had opportunities to makes some moves on the race course and we have to learn form each race and be ready to take advantage of the opportunities when they come tomorrow, wherever that may be on the course. Everyone is learning a ton from their time here, and that's part of creating a culture that we can sustain for a long period of time."

SATURDAY RESULTS

I Eights – A-B semifinals, heat one: 5th - 6:28.449
II Eights – C-D semifinals heat one: 2nd - 6:37.843
Fours – C-D semifinals heat one: 2nd - 7:20.709

ALABAMA LINEUPS

First Varsity 8+: Izzie Gonzales (Cox), Claudia Mecchia, Darcy Jennings, Gianna Rucki, Brittany Hill, Ella Kemna, Ella Maggio, Gabrielle Krieger, Rebekah Stewart
Second Varsity 8+: Emma Shekenberg (Cox), Keilani Hamann, Makena Clark, Saskia Dammersmith, Michala Struble, Sydney Wenstrom, Samantha Gafford, Raegan Beightol, Jacqueline White
Varsity 4+: Haley Alexander (Cox), Elizabeth Struble, Lauren Montgomery, Emily Strawbridge, McKenna Carroll

SUNDAY SCHEDULE

7:24 a.m. CT – C final (Fours)
7:48 a.m. CT – C final (II Eights)
9:36 a.m. CT – Petite final (I Eights)

SCORING CHEAT SHEET

Finals Heats
- Grand final – place 1-6 from semifinal race
- Petite final – place 7-12 from semifinal race
- C final – place 13-18 from semifinal race
- D final – place 19-22 from semifinal race
Point Breakdown in Finals Heats
- I Eights – Three points per place (e.g., 1st place – 66 points, 2nd place – 63 points, 3rd place – 60, etc.)
- II Eights – Two points per place (e.g., 1st place – 44 points, 2nd place – 42 points, 3rd place – 40 points, etc.)
- Fours – One point per place (e.g., 1st place – 22 points, 2nd place – 21 points, 3rd place – 20 points, etc.)

For the latest information on the team, follow @AlabamaRow on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Rowing on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.

University of Alabama Athletics