The Virginia women's crew team took third place at the Eastern Sprints on the Cooper River in Camden, N.J. last Sunday. For the first time in school history, all six Cavalier boats made it to the finals round at the most prestigious race on the East Coast, featuring 18 of the region's best teams.
The Cavaliers, No. 1 in the NCAA South Division, finished Eastern Sprints with 64 points, finishing behind Princeton and Brown. Princeton, the top-ranked team in the Mid-Atlantic Division, racked up 71 points to take home the Willing Point Trophy, while Brown, the top-ranked team in the New England Division and the nation, edged out Virginia by only one point for a total of 65. The No. 1 ranked teams in both the Central and West Divisions, Michigan and Washington, respectively, did not compete at Eastern Sprints.
The Cavaliers are waiting for this weekend's championship races on the West Coast to end before they find out whether they will receive a bid to NCAA championships, but Sauer said the team is confident.
"I think so," coach Kevin Sauer said of earning a bid. "We're ranked No. 1 in the South and had a really strong showing at Eastern Sprints, but we're not counting our chickens or anything."
The team is looking forward to the NCAA championships because the third-place finish at Eastern Sprints places Virginia at a competitive level with the best teams in the nation.
Going into Eastern Sprints, "we didn't know what to expect," junior Amanda Kennedy said. "We were surprised and very happy" with third place.
Since their worst performance of the season April 6 at the San Diego Crew Classic, the Cavaliers have improved with each race. They won an important come-from-behind race at the George Washington Invitational the following week and went on to sweep the ACC championships on April 20. The Cavaliers seem to be peaking at the right time of the season, leading into the NCAA championships.
If Virginia can continue to raise the level of its performance, they will be in strong contention with Michigan, Princeton, Brown and Washington for a national title.
"We're definitely gaining confidence," Kennedy said.
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