cuse.com article
The then ranked No. 18 Orange were victorious in the Varsity 8+, upsetting EARC rival No. 12 Wisconsin in their season opener dual on April 9th. Syracuse's top boat won convincingly with an open water lead over the Badgers. Wisconsin finished first in the second varsity and third varsity races.
The regatta was hosted by Wisconsin in Skokie, IL, just north of Chicago. Our very own SARA President, Joe Paduda voiced the live audio broadcasts throughout the morning. Races were contended in a narrow straight-away or an industrial canal that protected the crews from a 9-11mph tailwind. It was a beautiful, sunny day and despite the freezing 26 degree temperature, some men braved the cold in only a uni or short sleeves on their way to the start. Sure enough, the conditions were nothing compared to what the rowers had handled in the past. Last year the dual race was hosted by Syracuse on Cayuga Lake in Ithaca. Remember how much ice there was on Onondaga then?!
“We talked more about every stroke the attitude being that just another inch, just another inch. It is not a power crew, but it is a crew that will do their work over the race course. They are grinders.”
In 2015, Syracuse defeated Wisconsin in the second varsity competition, but had to hand over their Orange shirts to the Badgers in the first and third varsity events. This year, the Varsity 8+ was the highlight of the morning. Following the win, Paduda caught up with Varsity coxswain, sophomore Dom Santora for a recap. Off the line Syracuse reached a rate of 45spm, but Wisco began stronger, gaining a three-seat lead. The Orange then settled into their Syracuse rhythm at 36spm and focused on their race. Staying composed, the Orange began to pull away around the 1,000m mark, moving up to Wisconsin's three-seat and then bow-seat in the third 500m. Heading into the final 500m, Syracuse had a slight open water advantage, and continued widening the gap with 250m to go, gaining control of the outcome as they bumped the rating for the final sprint. Syracuse crossed the line in 5:42.7, 7.5 seconds ahead of the Badgers who clocked 5:50.2. Overall, it was a solid race. Despite tremendous efforts in the second varsity, Syracuse was unable to overtake Wisconsin's lead and crossed the finish 8 seconds back, while the third varsity finished 10 seconds behind the Badgers.
LINE-UPS:
1V
C – Santora, Reichard, Dawson, Staprans, McKenney, Messner, Schiera, Douglas, Tavares
2V
C – Kollman, Oster, Conroy, Walker, Leimeister, Barni, Kelley, Johnson, Busco
3V
C – Vlahandreas, Vanderberg, Weitekamp, Will, Hunt, Graves, Marks, Bauerfield, Shober
The V8+'s impressive margin over the Badgers near the finish
UP NEXT
This weekend, the Orange will be in contention for the Goes Trophy against Navy and Cornell in Annapolis, MD. Race Info.