LEWISBURG, Pa. – In its first major Colonial Athletic Association action of the season, Villanova won five races in the dual at Bucknell, taking three races over UConn and winning two over Eastern Michigan on Friday.
The Varsity Eight boat collected a sweep, beating UConn by seven seconds and Eastern Michigan by four. Each of the Second Varsity Eight and Varsity Four boats had a win on the day as well.
"All-in-all, this was a fantastic day for our crew," head coach
Carissa Adams said. "This race allowed all squads to race once and then make the necessary adjustments for their second race of the day. It was a lot of fun and we were proud of every athlete's efforts."
In the morning against UConn in calm conditions, the Varsity Eight boat of
Julia Ramsey,
Erin Welch,
Jillian de Merlier,
Olivia Krause,
Claire Barrett,
Sheila Joyce,
Kara Dempsey,
Mary Arnold and
Madeline McCarthy found their rhythm and took an early lead that it held onto throughout the race, going wire-to-wire with great composure. The 'Cats finished in 6:56.30, ahead of UConn's time of 7:03.97.
The Second Varsity Eight kept the momentum up for the team. Villanova's grouping of
Mac O'Reilly,
Annie Dudrear,
Fiona Fennessey,
Grace Quirk,
Alexandra Petrozzi,
Julia Kreisl,
Zoe Barnes,
Caroline Shea and
Elizabeth Liedtka pulled out to a lead from the start but saw UConn walk back into contention. Villanova held on in a tight race, finishing in 7:10.57 to edge out the Huskies, 7:11.11.
In the Varsity Four,
Madison Girard,
Caroline Colgan,
Emma Lovejoy,
Julia Longo and
Anna Flynn struggled to get into rhythm early and could never settle after UConn jumped ahead. The Huskies won that race in 8:04.14 with Villanova finishing in 8:21.06.
The final race against UConn came down to the Third Varsity Eight boat of
Gianna Zajac,
Rose Baker,
Cecilia Jenkins,
Kelechi Onuigbo,
Daiana Espindola,
Lydia Deppman,
Hayden Karnes,
Hailey Bierling and
Vic Hamilton facing the Huskies' Third and Fourth Varsity Eights. They finished in 8:17.81, just behind the third and fourths in 7:36.33 and 7:43.61, respectively.
"This was many of the Third Varsity's first race," Adams said. "We felt they did a great job and are proud of their efforts."
The second half of the day turned the group's attention to Eastern Michigan, once against starting with the Varsity Eights.
Villanova's group jumped out to a lead to open the race. Eastern Michigan took many chances to inch back into the race, but the Wildcats would not have it, maintaining their lead for a 6:39.28 time ahead of the Eagles' 6:43.35.
"Our Varsity Eight knew they needed to go into this race with energy and a commitment to go from the start," Adams said. "It was a fun race to watch and I was impressed by the determination they put out there today."
The Second Varsity Eight was another entertaining one that came down to just a mere second between the squads. The Eagles held the advantage though at 7:06.64, finishing ahead of Villanova's time of 7:07.69.
After gaining some knowledge and experience in the earlier round, the Varsity Four made the necessary improvements for a winning time of 8:14.76 over the Eagles who finished in 8:43.64.
Using a different lineup in the Third Varsity Eight against the Eagles, Villanova's team of Baker,
Olivia Frizzell,
Isabella Thorne,
Sofia Lopez, Onuigbo, Jenkins, Deppman and Hamilton finished ahead of Eastern Michigan, posting a time of 7:43.53.
Villanova is back in action next Sunday, April 24, as it heads to Sandy Run Regional Park, Va. for the George Mason Invitational.
