PENNSAUKEN, N.J. – Despite facing gusty winds with larger gusts throughout the day on the Cooper River and more lineup changes, Villanova's boats battled the elements to close out the Knecht Cup on Sunday.
"This was a rollercoaster of a weekend for the team and I am so very proud of the way they rolled with the punches we experienced every day," head coach
Carissa Adams said. "The Varsity Eight group came together at the end of the racing weekend and gave a performance that would make any Villanova fan proud. It was run to watch the team come together and rediscover the power of attitude and a positive mindset."
The Varsity Four boat faced a change at coxswain with
Alannah Cunningham moving into the position for an ill
Julia Ramsey. Cunningham,
Caroline Colgan,
Emma Lovejoy,
Julia Longo and
Olivia Frizzell turned in a time of 8:26.35 to finish sixth in the Grand Finals.
The second race of the day on the docket for the Wildcats was the Second Varsity Eight that was set to compete in the Petite Final. Upon arriving to the course, two rowers got sick, scratching the boat from the final.
The day closed with the Varsity Eight turning in an exciting showing in the Grand Final. Cunningham replaced Ramsey in the coxswain seat of this boat as well. Despite two other athletes not feeling well, they pushed through to stay in the lineup, keeping the group with Cunningham to be
Erin Welch,
Jillian de Merlier,
Olivia Krause,
Claire Barrett,
Sheila Joyce,
Kara Dempsey,
Mary Arnold and
Madeline McCarthy. All the crews in the final fought the tough conditions for a tight race that saw 11 seconds separating first and sixth. Villanova finished fifth at 6:43.47, nearly a second and a half better than Boston.
"We are looking forward to a week of practice to get prepared for our upcoming races next weekend against our conference rivals, University of Connecticut and Eastern Michigan," Adams said.
Villanova's next race takes it to Lewisburg, Pa. on April 16 for a four-team contest with its conference counterparts all hosted by Bucknell.
