PROVIDENCE, R.I. – UCF’s Second Varsity 8 snagged its second American Athletic Conference Boat of the Week honor to close the regular season accolades on Monday following Saturday’s performance at the Longhorn Invitational.
Racing together for the first time as a crew, UCF’s boat of coxswain Catherine Harms, Alyssa Ramos, Ieva Medelinskaite, Rusne Dziugyte, Sydney Hays, Leslie Lajoie, Shannon Perry, Edvina Nesukaityte and Michaela Gundrum cruised to a 6:47.35 time in its morning heat. The Knights then finished the day on Decker Lake in the Eights B Final, topping the four-team race in 7:03.29. That time put UCF ahead of No. 18 Oklahoma by more than six seconds as well as Alabama and Miami.
The Knights will seek their fourth-consecutive American Athletic Conference Rowing title on May 12. All seven of the conference’s teams will compete in a six-race regatta at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken, N.J. with the winning team earning The American’s at-large bid to the 2018 NCAA Rowing Championships May 25-27 in Sarasota, Fla. For more information on the upcoming American Rowing Championship, visit
Champ Central.
American Rowing Notebook
UConn
- UConn completed the regular season at the 45th Annual Women’s Eastern Sprints on Sunday at Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass.
- The Husky performances were highlighted by a program-best second-place finish in the Third Varsity 4, finishing in 8:30.23.
- In the Third Varsity 8, UConn took fifth in the field, timing in at 7:34.60.
Sacramento State
- Sacramento State hosted the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships at Lake Natoma over the weekend.
- Of the four Hornet boats to compete, three reached the grand finals.
- The Second Varsity 8 picked up a silver medal for the third time in the past four years, finishing in 6:59.53 behind only the Stanford Lightweights.
- The Varsity 4 also medaled, placing third ahead of the Stanford Lightweights, Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara in 7:51.65.
- The Hornets have one final regatta before the conference championships, competing with UC Davis at the Port of Sacramento.
San Diego State
- San Diego State also competed at the WIRA Championships over the weekend at Lake Natoma.
- The Aztecs’ Varsity 4 earned the team’s highest finish with a gold medal to top the six-team final in 7:44.36.
- SDSU’s Varsity 8 earned second place in 6:45.49, behind only the Stanford Lightweights.
- In the Second Varsity 8, the Aztecs took third with a time of 7:02.50.
SMU
- The Mustangs’s Varsity 8 took runner-up at the Cherry Hill Invitational on April 21, the final event of the regular season for SMU.
- The grouping earned Boat of the Week honors with a 6:46 time after winning its opening heat in 6:48, finishing behind only Rutgers.
- Also on April 21, the Second Varsity 8 collected third place and the Varsity 4 third to finish out the event.
Temple
- Temple concluded the regular season at the Women’s Eastern Sprints on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass.
- The Owls collected their first-ever medal at the event, with the Varsity 4 B. timing in at 7:55.47 behind only Rutgers.
- Fourth-place finishes were collected by Varsity 4 A and Varsity 4 B, while the Varsity 8 took second in the petite final.
Tulsa
- The Golden Hurricane made it 11-straight Lawless Cup titles on April 21, defeating Creighton in a series of three races.
- The Varsity 8 won with a time of 6:38.5 and the Second Varsity in 6:56.4, while three Tulsa boats went 1-2-3 in the Varsity 4. The top grouping finished in 7:42.85.
- Tulsa is back in the water next for the conference championships at Cooper River Park on May 12.
American Athletic Conference 2018 Boats of the Week
March 13 Sacramento State – Second Varsity 8
March 19 UCF – Second Varsity 8
March 26 Temple – Second Varsity 8
April 9 Tulsa – Varsity 8
April 16 Tulsa – Varsity 8
April 23 SMU – Varsity 8
April 30 UCF – Second Varsity 8