For the Virginia women's rowing team, the oars did all the talking this past season.
Virginia muscled its way to a second place team finish at the NCAA women's rowing championships on Lake Natoma in Rancho Cordova, Calif. Two of its three top crews remained undefeated on the season. Virginia has now placed in the top four in the NCAA for the past six years, proving to be one of the University's strongest programs.
"I, as a coach, demanded more of them and they rose to the occasion," head coach Kevin Sauer said of this season's success.
Sauer has headed the program for its entire 10 year existence and is aided by assistant coaches Steve Pritzker and Veronika Platzer. Virginia is one of only four schools to receive invitations to all nine NCAA rowing championships.
"Kevin [Sauer] worked us hard in practice, harder than any of the past three years that I have experienced.We also lifted more often and with heavier weights," senior rower and co-captain Beth Clark senior of the second varsity eight. "Finishing second as a team is proof of the hard work and long hours we put into rowing this year."
The two undefeated boats were the second varsity eight and varsity four crews.
"The thing that separated these boats was depth. We have a lot of kids that are very talented [which] bodes well for our lower boats," Sauer said.
Rowers for each boat are selected through a process of "seat-racing" which occurs throughout the season as the coaches search for the fastest combination of rowers. This fastest boat then becomes the varsity eight.
"I changed the varsity eight and second varsity eight late in the season. I am always looking to make the varsity eight faster and not slow down the other boats. It's all about finding the right combination," Sauer said. "This is what I did this year and it actually worked... the kids trusted me and they went with it."
All season the varsity eight competed against the other varsity eight crews from top rowing programs in the country. Virginia's varsity eight placed fourth in the NCAA, giving the team an overall second place finish at the championships. The Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association named two members of this varsity eight crew first-team All-Americans. Seniors Margaret Matia and Carolyn McMillan earned the All-America Honors and senior coxswain Launa Forehand of the second varsity eight earned second-team All-America honors.
Sophomore, Sara Lippa of the second varsity eight said, "I think team dynamic played a big part in our season.When you are in a race, it helps if you want to win for the girl in front of you and behind you."
Sophomore Annemarie Pitts, a member of the varsity four crew also felt a closeness with her teammates.
"I [had] a huge amount of trust in each person in my boat. I had sweat blood and tears with these girls the whole year... I've seen them put their soul on the line and fail, and seen them put their soul on the line and succeed."
Besides team dynamic, Sauer believes that competitive nature caused much of their success.
"The kids are very competitive, and everybody gets better," Sauer said. "In general they believe in each other and the work that they've done... everyone is a part of it. They're all working hard."
And the hard work certainly paid off this season as Virginia pulled out some incredible races in the NCAA heat. The second varsity eight led all the way to win the NCAA Championship with an impressive 6:34:19 time in the final race."It is so exciting to be in a national championship boat," Clark said."I am so proud of the girls in my boat and so glad we were able to do this together."
The varsity four crew also led all the way in their races to the championship defeating second place Brown by nearly five seconds.
"The depth in our team made these two boats so successful," Clark said. "We had about thirty-five rowers and five coxswains on the varsity team that worked so hard every day."
Pressure was something that the Cavaliers handled with seeming ease.
"Going into the race we all knew that if we rowed our best we would win," Lippa said. "That is a very powerful situation to be in.We worked hard this season and were undefeated; I just counted on the fact that if we did what we did in every other race... we would win."
As far as next year is concerned, the Virginia coaches wouldn't mind a repeat performance. Except for one little detail, that is.
"I think we would like to replicate this year's success, with the exception of a first place finish in the first eight," Pitts said of her goals for next season. And Sauer agrees. "I think we need to look for more speed at the varsity eight level and see if we can get to the top of the heat."
But, after all, it's the oars that will really do the talking.
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