After sweeping ACC championships last weekend to secure their fourth consecutive ACC title, the Virginia rowing team has two more chances to lift its standings. The Cavaliers' first outing will be this weekend, when they compete with the best in the nation, Radcliffe, Yale and Texas in Boston, Mass. The second outing falls three weeks later at Eastern Sprints in Camden, N.J.
The Cavaliers opened their season on an upswing with a sweep over Columbia. Since that victory they have gone on to take losses on trips to Stanford--where they raced a number of PAC 10 schools -- and to Columbus, Ohio, where they lost to both Michigan and Ohio State in the annual ACC-Big 10 double dual.
In recent years, women's rowing has been dominated by the PAC 10, Big 10 (namely Ohio State and Michigan), the Ivy League, and Virginia. The Cavaliers will have a chance to race against some Ivy League teams in preparation for NCAA Championships, a race in which Virginia placed fourth last year.
"We've got some chances to race Yale and Brown and some other good teams," coach Kevin Sauer said after sweeping the ACC championships.
NCAA championships will not take place until the very end of May, going into the first day of June, and Virginia will only be racing one of the four weeks between now and NCAA competition. Dominating at ACC championships has certainly helped Virginia build its confidence and look past its mid-season troubles.
"They've built some confidence," Sauer said in reference to the first Varsity-eight boat's performance that capped off the ACC championships with a perfect finish.
One of the best finishes at the ACC championships for the Cavaliers was in their Varsity-four boat, which pulled across the finish line with four boat lengths of open water separating the Cavaliers from the second place Duke boat.
However, junior rower Catelyn Coyle, a member of that Varsity-four boat, alluded to her suspicion that this lineup is not likely to stay together.
"We're probably going to split the boat since it was put together because of numerous injuries," Coyle said. "But if we didn't we'd be stacked."
Sauer tinkered with his lineups all of last season, leading up to Virginia's fourth place finish at NCAA championships. However, he expressed his that this year's lineups would change less due to a more clear-cut divide in talent.
The second Varsity-eight boat finished in a time above all other non-Virginia boats at this year's ACC championships, but Sauer says times in rowing are often meaningless. Times can be easily swayed as a result of wind and water conditions. Considering this disparity, and despite the mid-season losses, Sauer said he takes comfort in the fact that most of Virginia's losses in the ACC-Big 10 double dual meet were by mere seconds.
Virginia will still have to catch up to Michigan and Ohio State if they want to compete against Cal, a favorite to win coming into NCAA championships. Cal is returning seven of their eight rowers in their first Varsity-eight boat and is coming off a third place finish, edging Virginia in the final point tally by just one point.
NCAA championships this year, like last year will be held over three days in Indianapolis, Indiana from May 30 through June 1.
Read More
Reflecting on a men’s soccer season that traced a familiar trajectory
By Michael Liebermann and Mofeoluwa Akande | 8 hours agoVirginia, in top form, looked like it could beat anybody, but it faltered in the postseason.
History-making women’s doubles pair reflects on journey to NCAA title
By Gracie Genereux | 21 hours agoVirginia women's tennis, until a few weeks ago, had never won a doubles title.
Volleyball falls to Saint John’s in second round of NIVC to end season
By Lauren Halak | 2 days agoA historic season ended with a pang of disappointment.
