No. 9 Virginia advances three boats to NCAA Semifinals

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

No. 9 Virginia advanced all three boats to the A/B semifinals at the NCAA Rowing Championships Friday at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Fla. The Cavaliers’ Second Varsity Eight placed second in heat three this morning to advance, while the Varsity Eight placed second and Varsity Four first in its respective Friday afternoon repechages.

UVA’s Second Varsity Eight turned in a stellar performance in heat three, finishing second behind Washington (6:14647). The Cavaliers trailed Pennsylvania after the first 1,000 meters but rallied in the next 500 meters and held off the Quakers 6:19.109-6:19.212.

The Cavaliers’ Varsity Eight rallied past Oregon State to place second in heat one of the repechages. UVA trailed the Beavers after 1,500 meters but used a fearless sprint in the last 500 meters to gain a berth into the A/B semifinals.

UVA led start to finish to win its Varsity Four repechage, outdistancing runner-up USC 7:05.680-7:11.352,

“Really gritty racing today to get all three boats in the A/B semifinals,” head coach Kevin Sauer said. “We will need even more tomorrow.”

In other Friday morning heat action, UVA’s Varsity Eight placed fourth behind Brown 6:13.306-6:26.313. SMU placed third, followed by Virginia, Northeastern and Rhode Island. The Cavaliers’ Varsity Four finished third behind Stanford. The Cardinal won the race at 6:54.374 followed by Michigan, Virginia, Rutgers and Northeastern.

NCAA championship action continues Saturday with the semifinals beginning at 8:12 a.m. ET. UVA’s Varsity Eight will race in A/B semifinal heat two at 8:45 a.m., followed by the Second Varsity Eight in heat two at 9:36 a.m., and the Varsity Four in heat one at 10:12 a.m. Live video is available on NCAA.com.

Friday Morning Results

Varsity Eight Heat Four

1. Brown, 6:13.306, 2. Yale, 6:15.202, 3. SMU, 6:18.181, 4. Virginia, 6:26.313, 5. Northeastern, 6:40.316, 6. Rhode Island, 7:00.823

Second Varsity Eight Heat Three

1. Washington, 6:14.647, 2. Virginia, 6:19.109, 3. Pennsylvania, 6:19.212, 4. Duke, 6:35.165, 5. Boston University, 6:49.485, 6. Northeastern, 6:55.000

Varsity Four Heat Two

1. Stanford, 6:54.374, 2. Michigan 6:59.627, 3. Virginia, 7:04.851, 4. Rutgers, 7:07.035, 5, Northeastern, 7:42.004

Friday Afternoon Repechage Results

Varsity Eight Heat One

1. Pennsylvania, 6:17.591, 2. Virginia, 6:19.007, 3. Oregon State, 6:19.815, 4. USC, 6:25.095, 5. Duke, 6:27.043, 6. Northeastern, 6:35.831, 7. Jacksonville, 6:48.715

Varsity Four Heat One

1. Virginia, 7:05.680, 2. USC, 7:11.352, 3. Oregon State, 7:12.626, 4. Pennsylvania, 7:15.540, 5. Duke, 7:20.826, 6. Rhode Island, 7:35.714, 7. Jacksonville, 7:45.684

Virginia Lineups

Varsity Eight: Coxswain ViVi Van Ingen, Stroke: Kate Kelly, 7: Leia Till, 6: Lauren Benedict, 5: Sonja Schlosser, 4: Nicola Lawless, 3: Alli Terblanche, 2: Kelsey Gems, Bow: Eva Frohnhofer

Second Varsity Eight: Coxswain Janet Conklin, Stroke: Addison Luce, 7: Meagan Goldsmith, 6: Lily Jarrett, 5: Helene Dimitrijev, 4: Lauren Orr, 3: Cameron Bentley, 2: Tahne Badenhorst, Bow: Larkin Brown

Varsity Four: Coxswain Nora Grabcheski, Stroke: Hailey Barnett, 3: Jenna Hajji, 2: Kate McGee, Bow: Sophia Coppola