Rowing: WVU Crews Advance to Finals
“All of our crews advanced out of the morning heats to the afternoon semis gaining valuable racing experience in the process,” says head coach Jimmy King. “With their progression to the semis, they all also earned a spot in Sunday's finals." The novice four earned secured a place in the Grand Final for the second consecutive year. The crew of Bethany Anne Sapen, Melinda Sharon, Enya Messersmith, Kaitlyn Eason and coxswain Alexandra Basil advanced after crossing the finish line of their semifinal in first place with a time of 8:30.38. They will race against Villanova ‘A’, Duquesne ‘A’, Old Dominion, Fairfield and Delaware on Sunday. Last year, the novice four crew paced the team with a gold-medal finish, taking first place out of 41 overall crews and earning BIG EAST Boat of the Week honors for that performance. In addition, the varsity eight crew earned a spot in the Petite Final of its event after placing fourth in its semifinal. The crew of Hilary Meale, Jenelle Spencer, Rachelle Purych, Danielle Widecrantz, Kelly Kramer, Shannon Gribbons, Karen Verwey, Courtney Schrand and coxswain Mallory Fisher finished the semifinal race in 6:44.70. The varsity eight will take on Old Dominion, Drexel, Temple, Miami and George Mason on Sunday. The varsity four crew comprised of Sarah Hansard, Tamyra Roberts, Rebecca Knecht, Brianna Dendler and coxswain Sarah Cartwright will face Army, Buffalo and Temple along with BIG EAST opponents Rutgers and Connecticut in the Third Final of their event, after finishing their semifinal race in 8:26.19. Similarly, the second varsity eight crew of Jessica Hurlbert, Mollie Rosen, Elizabeth Duarte, Rachel Cokeley, Jessica Kelly, Amanda Hirsch, Danika Rencken, Lisa Deklau and coxswain Ellen Shular will race against North Carolina, Connecticut, Old Dominion, New Hampshire and Miami in the Third Final of their event, after finishing their semifinal with a time of 7:22.59. "Just as the competition level increased from heats to semis, the speed of the crews we face tomorrow will increase yet again,” King says. “To have success in Sunday's finals, our crews will need to put together complete races from start to finish." For results from Sunday’s finals, visit http://www.regattaworks.com. A full recap will be provided by MSNsportsNET.com. |
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