The Massachusetts rowing team headed south to Cherry Hill, N.J., on Saturday and Sunday for the country’s biggest collegiate regatta, the Knecht Cup.
Facing one of the deepest and most competitive fields in the nation, UMass lined up against powerhouse programs from across the country, where every heat demanded precision and every stroke carried weight. The Minutewomen also got some racing experience with Mid-American Conference (MAC) competitors this weekend.
The weather over the cup’s two days on Cooper River was relatively calm. Some crosswinds impacted the competition on Saturday, making for a gritty racecourse.
“We’re continuing to do a good job of executing, and what we’re seeing on race day is not surprising,” head coach Eric Carcich said. “They’re doing a good job of executing when it matters.”
The second varsity eight crew took home gold for UMass early on Sunday afternoon. Stroke seat Maeva Ginsberg-Klemmt led her boat through three rounds of racing over the course of the weekend.
Sophomore AJ Prahl coxed the second varsity eight to a second-place finish in the first heat with a final time of 6:53.76 Saturday. The Minutewomen finished just two seconds behind MIT, who they will face next weekend.
The semi-final proved to be difficult, with an added 30 seconds onto the heat time and a third-place finish. However, UMass prevailed in the final with a final time of 6:57.87, just three seconds ahead of Connecticut.
The varsity eight and third varsity eight both took home second place in their respective finals. Amanda Scally coxed the varsity eight to two first-place finishes in the first heat and semi-final. The times were 6:39.71 and 7:10.29, respectively.
Stroke seat Olivia Ollerenshaw led her crew to their second-place finish time of 6:53.05. They finished behind Radcliffe and just two seconds ahead of Bucknell.
“It was relatively easy to keep morale high,” Carcich said. “We were producing pretty good boat speed on opening day.”
The third varsity eight did not have a semi-final; it had only the heat and final. Ithaca native Elle Decatur led her boat to a second-place finish in both the heat and final. In the first heat, there was room between the crews, with the Minutewomen finishing about 11 seconds behind Connecticut and Drexel coming in five seconds behind UMass. The time differences are quick to count out, but in the rowing world, even just five seconds is a significant gap between crews.
The varsity four, led by sophomore Hannah Glover, kept up with Boston College, finishing in second at 7:49.44. The Minutewomen held off Mercyhurst University by 10 seconds. Coxswain Sara Lavigna and her boat came in fourth place overall in the final, clocking in at 8:18:35 on Sunday morning.
The second varsity four placed first in their heat, earning their spot in the final. The time clocked was 7:59.56, holding off Jacksonville University by four seconds. Stroke seat Phoebe Gallagher paced her boat to a final time of 8:38.74, earning fourth overall in the final. Temple, Wisconsin and Drexel took the lead in the event; however, all crews, including UMass, finished within just under 8 seconds of each other.
“It matters most in five weeks,” Carcich said about the MAC Championships. “We’re looking forward to next week [and] trying to be one or two percent better. We get to see a lot of the crews we raced here and we have margins.”
Looking ahead, the Minutewomen head east to Worcester, Mass., on Saturday, April 18. The UMass women were invited to the Holy Cross/Boston College/UConn regatta alongside MIT and Sacred Heart. The start time is set for 8:00 a.m.
Olivia Thibodeaux can be reached at [email protected].
