RALEIGH, N.C. — The Clemson women’s rowing team had a strong day of racing at the inaugural Lake Wheeler Invitational co-hosted by Duke and UNC. After Friday racing was cancelled due to storms in the area, the regatta moved to a heats to finals format. Clemson ultimately finished in sixth place out of nine teams in the final standings.
During the first racing session, the first varsity eight, coxed by freshman Kate Hadley, put pressure on Duke throughout the race, but ultimately finished in second place with a time of 6:45.33, just 3 seconds back from first place Duke. The second varsity eight and third varsity eight both finished second in their heats, while the first varsity four and second varsity four went on to finish third.
After a short break between racing sessions, finals began with the first varsity eight racing against UCF and Georgetown for fourth through sixth place overall. Hadley pushed her crew throughout the race and after a strong sprint, the eight came out with the win in the final and a fourth place overall finish with a time of 6:34.752.
The second varsity eight stayed true to their boat name, the ALL IN, and never faltered during their race. Coxed by Erin Murphy, the eight crossed the finish line in first with a time of 6:38.844 ahead of Temple and Navy for fourth place overall.
The closest finish of the day for Clemson was in third varsity eight coxed by Rebekah Stein. Stein’s crew and UCF were trading first and second places in a bow ball to bow ball race. Ultimately, Clemson came in second with a time of 7:05.345 just 1.2 seconds behind first place UCF.
Both the first and second varsity fours took first place in their respective finals. After finishing third in the heat, the first varsity four, coxed by Katie Herbolsheimer, came out firing in the third final. They finished the race with open water on both Miami and Georgetown with a time of 7:29.790. The second varsity four, coxed by Julia Suplick, crossed the finish line in 7:32.790 with open water on Miami and UNC.
The Tigers return to Lake Hartwell on May 6th for a scrimmage against Jacksonville. Lake Hartwell will once again play host to the ACC Championships on May 17-18th. The championship will return to a two day racing format with heats on Friday and finals Saturday morning. More information and schedule to follow in the coming weeks.
UNC and Duke put on a great event this weekend and I look forward to seeing the Lake Wheeler venue develop into a potential ACC site in the coming years.
Overall, we are excited to build upon the momentum we’re continuing to gain in this last stretch of the season. The first two eights set a strong tone with wins in their finals; the 3V8 battled back from adversity to finish a gritty second in their final and our two fours will continue to gain speed as they are able to train together more in the coming weeks. The team starts exams on Monday so the coaching staff and parents will be cheering for A’s instead of gold medals next week.
1V8+ heat • 1. Duke 6:41.966 2. Clemson 6:45.330 3. Miami 6:52.147
2V8+ heat • 1. Duke 6:39.644 2. Clemson 6:45.019 3. Miami 7:06.955
3V8+ heat • 1. Duke ‘A’ 6:46.832 2. Clemson 7:01.287
1V4+ heat • 1. UCF 7:18.461 2. Michigan State 7:29.544 3. Clemson 7:34.411
2V4+ heat • 1. UCF 7:29.755 2. Navy 7:30.778 3. Clemson 7:33.115
1V8+ 2nd final • 1. Clemson 6:34.752 2. UCF 6:36.319 3. Georgetown 6:39.282
2V8+ 2nd final • 1. Clemson 6:38.844 2. Temple 6:41.253 3. Navy 6:44.531
3V8+ 2nd final • 1. UCF 7:04.120 2. Clemson 7:05.345 3. UNC ‘B’ 7:20.696
1V4+ 3rd final • 1. Clemson 7:29.790 2. Miami 7:38.027 3. Georgetown 7:50.907
2V4+ 2nd final • 1. Clemson 7:32.790 2. Miami 7:41.167 3. UNC 7:51.039
Final Team Standings
1. Duke 99 2. Navy 71 3. Central Florida 70 4. Michigan State 66 5. Clemson 59 6. Temple 39 7. North Carolina 38 8. Miami 25 9. Georgetown 21
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