PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Temple’s varsity eight has earned its second American Athletic Conference Boat of the Week honors of the 2016 season.
The Owls’ varsity eight took home the Lela H. Kerr Cup at the 50th-annual Kerr Cup Regatta, held on Saturday on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Pa.
Temple advanced to the grand final with a first-place finish in the heats, clocking in at 6:30.95, ahead of a six-team field. The crew finished 3.16 seconds ahead of second-place Saint Joseph’s (6:34.11).
In the afternoon, the Cherry and White took first in the grand final in a field of six boats, crossing the finish line at 6:36.16. Temple defeated Fordham, Drexel, St. Joseph's, West Point and Lehigh in the final, while snapping Drexel’s two-year win streak at its home regatta. A total of 18 boats participated in the varsity eight race at the event.
As a team, Temple had six entries and posted six top-three finishes, including three gold medals. In addition to the varsity eight, the Owls earned titles in the second varsity eight and second varsity four races.
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE BOAT OF THE WEEK
Temple Varsity Eight
C - Kelsey Franks, 8 - Kelly McGee, 7 - Emily Leyland, 6 - Lily Papaleo, 5 - Charlotte Forman, 4 - Emilie Mehler, 3 - Janie Augustyn, 2 - Ciara O'Sullivan, B - Victoria Brooks
AROUND THE AMERICAN
The American Athletic Conference will include seven teams for women’s rowing in the 2016 season: UCF, UConn, Sacramento State, San Diego State, SMU, Temple and Tulsa.
The third annual American Athletic Conference Rowing Championship will take place on May 14 at Sacramento State Aquatic Center in Gold River, Calif. The winner of the conference title will receive the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Championships, held at the same location, from May 27-29.
UCF raced three times on Lake Hartwell at the Clemson Invitational over the weekend. The Knights collected a fourth-place finish, three fifth-place finishes, six sixth-place finishes and eight seventh-place finishes among 12 teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the CRCA/USRowing Coaches’ Poll. The varsity eight opened the weekend with a seventh-place finish before improving two places to collect a fifth-place finish in the Saturday afternoon session. The boat closed the weekend with a sixth-place finish on Sunday. The Knights return to action on April 23, heading to Miami for a dual contest with the Hurricane.
UConn competed against Boston College and Holy Cross on Sunday at the Irving-Christensen Cup at Lake Quinsigamont. The team claimed four second-place finishes, including the varsity eight (6:55.54), which finished behind Boston College (6:44.29). UConn returns to action for the American Athletic Conference championship on Saturday, May 14, in Gold River, Calif.
Sacramento State participated in the eighth-annual Lake Natoma Rowing Invitational over the weekend, at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center. The Hornets and Cal co-hosted the event, which was a two-day, nine-team regatta with a lineup that included seven nationally ranked teams. On Sunday, the Sacramento State varsity eight, second varsity eight and varsity four boats each finished first in their respective races against Loyola Marymount. The varsity eight raced to a winning time of 6:39.69 in its victory over Loyola Marymount (6:41.50), marking its fastest time of the season under good conditions. The Hornets return to the water when the team hosts the WIRA Championships on April 30-May 1.
San Diego State defeated UC San Diego in four of five races on Friday morning, as they competed on Mission Bay. The SDSU varsity eight topped the UCSD boat as it crossed the finish line in 6:20.90, followed by the Tritons with a time of 6:35.0. The Aztecs’ next competition will be the WIRA Championships, held on Lake Natoma from April 30-May 1.
SMU crews raced at the Lawless Cup, hosted by Tulsa, on Saturday. The event took place on the Verdigris River in Catoosa, Okla. The Mustangs’ varsity eight clocked a time of 7:12.4 to defeat Central Oklahoma and place second in the race. SMU’s second varsity four also took second place, with a time of 8:56.90. The Mustangs will return to action on April 30 when they head to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to face the Crimson Tide for their final race of the regular season.
Temple earned six top-three finishes, including three gold medals, at the 50th-annual Kerr Cup Regatta. The varsity eight took home the Lela H. Kerr Cup, finishing first in the grand final out of a six-team field (6:36.16). The Owls’ second varsity eight and second varsity four also captured event titles. Temple is back in action next weekend at the Kelly Cup on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia.
Tulsa captured the 10th Annual Lawless Cup as its crews won all four races of the regatta on Saturday morning on the Verdigris River in Catoosa, Okla. The Hurricane raced against SMU and Central Oklahoma at the event. Tulsa’s varsity eight (7:06.6) raced to a six-second win over second-place SMU (7:12.4). The team will be back on the water on April 30, facing Oklahoma at the Stone Cup in Catoosa, Okla.
This Week in American Athletic Conference Rowing
| Saturday |
April 23 |
UCF at Miami Dual (Miami, Fla.)
Temple at Kelly Cup (Philadelphia, Pa.) |
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