Women's Results

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NCAA 2016: Syracuse finishes 13th in the nation

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cuse.com article

ncaa.com

Syracuse claimed its place among the top 16 in the nation with an overall 13th place finish in the team standings at its first NCAA appearance since 2002. The Orange either matched or outperformed its seedings coming into the regatta to make a statement about the work that has been put in over the last six years under Head Coach Justin Moore's leadership to get there and where the program still has the potential and desire to go. The national championship boasts a field of some of the top programs in the country including 11 conference-winning automatic qualifiers and 11 at-large bids. The elite competition (in alphabetical order) included: Brown, California, Duke, Gonzaga, Indiana, Jacksonville, Michigan, Navy, Northeastern, Ohio State, Princeton, Rhode Island, Southern California, Stanford, Syracuse, Texas, Washington, Washington State, Wisconsin, UFC, Virginia, and Yale.  

The V8+ making its way down the course. 
“Our women went to NCAAs to compete, and demonstrated that we belong in the national conversation.”
— Head Coach Justin Moore

SUWR in SF! Headed up to Sacramento after an afternoon at the beach ☀️ #RoadtoNCAAs 📷: Alicea

A photo posted by Syracuse Women's Rowing (@surowing) on

TEAM STANDINGS

1) California 129
2) Ohio State 126
3) Virginia 112
4) Stanford 107
5) Washington 106
6) Brown 102
7) Princeton 100
8) Texas 98
9) Wisconsin 80
10) Michigan 75
11) Yale 70
12) Washington State 62
13) Syracuse 58
14) Southern California 55
15) Indiana 50
16) Gonzaga* 45
17) Duke* 45
18) Northeastern 35
19) Navy 21 
20) Central Florida 20
21) Rhode Island 16
22) Jacksonville 6


*Tiebreaker based on results place finish in 1V8+

Preceding the championship, seedings were assigned in each boat category based on their performances throughout the regular season and conference championships. The Varsity 4+ entered with the highest seed of 14 while both of the eights came in as the 16 seeds.

The regatta began with heats where the top two crews would advance directly to the A/B semi-final and the rest would battle for the remaining spots in the repechage in the evening. All three Syracuse crews placed fourth in their respective heats and proceeded to the reps. 

The top two finishers in each rep would fill out the A/B semi-final contenders and the remaining would default to the C/D semifinal. In perhaps the most challenging of the match-ups, the first varsity had an 'all or nothing' attitude against formidable opponents Washington, Yale, Duke, Northeastern, and Navy. The Orange walked through Duke who had beaten them by the slightest of margins (.o4 seconds) at the ACCs and then started to hunt down Yale while Washington led the pack. In undoubtedly their most gritty performance of the year, the women dug deep together and crossed the line in second with an open-water margin over Yale. They secured a spot in the A/B semi-final and could place no lower than 12th overall. Also up against tough competition in their reps, the 2V8+ took fourth and the V4+ took third place, racing well, but missing out on the higher level finals. 

In the C/D semi-finals, the 2V8+ came in second to secure a spot in the C final. The V4+ was the only crew to win a race during the three days of competition, leading their semi-final to also advance to the C final. In the 1V8+, the top three crews would advance to the A final, and finding this out of reach, the athletes strategically decided to conserve their energy for the B final, placing sixth in their semi. 

In the finals, the competition was intense. The V4+ again finished behind ACC rival Duke, earning 14th overall. The 2V8+ came in third behind Indiana and Duke to finish 15th overall, a place above their original seed. While the 1V8+ kept pace with the top crews, they again came in sixth, but only 1.2 seconds behind Michigan, a team that had been hovering around number 10 in the national polls. The priority crew bumped 4 spots from their initial ranking. 

Based on the weighted system and their competitors results across the boat classes, the calculations put Syracuse at 13th overall as a team. Later, in the final USRowing/CRCA Poll presented by Pocock Racing Shells, Syracuse achieved its highest final ranking since 2002 at number 13, comfortably within the top 16 and no longer on the bubble. 

 

1V8+

2V8+

V4+

1V8+

2V8+

3V8+

LINE-UPS

1V8
C - Vasiliou, Fitzpatrick, Lee, Tomeny, Taylor, McCann, Caldwell, McQuay, Johnson

2V8
C - Spraggins, Gill, Tobias, Konishesky, Ratcliff, Hughes, Richards, Adams, Allen

V4+
C - Menillo, Thornton, Jones, Warnecke, Dorner

 

Coach Kochis-Strodel guiding the next generation of Orange oarswomen back to the NCAA's greatest stage: the grand final. 

Coach Kochis-Strodel guiding the next generation of Orange oarswomen back to the NCAA's greatest stage: the grand final. 

The last time the Orange competed at the NCAAs was in 2002, where the Varsity 8+ placed 11th overall and the Second Varsity 8+ came in 12th overall. The previous year, in 2001, the Orange had its best finish at an NCAA regatta, placing 6th in the Varsity 8+ that qualified for the Grand Final (teams used to qualify individual boats, but now qualify as teams comprised of V8+, 2V8+, and V4+).  Assistant Coach Alicea Kochis-Strodel rowed 6-seat for the Orange in that crew, so she knows what it takes to compete at this level. In the NCAA's Rowing Championship 19-year history, the varsity eight has gone six times including the 2016 crew and the inaugural NCAA championships in 1997. 

 

full replay: di rowing ncaa finals

next steps

Coming off of an impressive showing at the NCAAs, the Orange are not complacent. With only 2 seniors in each boat, 18 athletes who competed will be returning to the team this fall. These women have tasted elite collegiate rowing and lined up with some of the strongest contenders in the sport. The goal is no longer to make an NCAA appearance. The goal is to be an NCAA staple team that returns every year, and not just as a top 16 team, but as a top 10 force to be reckoned with. It's been a long six years coming, but the work and the necessary shifts in the team culture have paid off. Yet there's still more hay to be put in the barn, so this summer the athletes may get a little vacation, but you can bet they will be training and racing to maintain fitness and set themselves up for the 2017 seasons. 

proud to be orange.

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Orange Women Tie for Second at ACC Championships

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cuse.com article

theacc.com article

In the team standings of the 2016 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, No. 16 Syracuse shared runner-up accolades with No. 19 Duke, marking their best overall finish since joining the league in 2014. Once again, No. 5 UVA swept the competition to earn the conference title for the sixteenth time in seventeen years. Former Big East dominator and rival No. 15 Notre Dame rounded out the team medal podium in third place.  The rest of the field included: Louisville, Clemson,  Boston College, Miami, and North Carolina.

The Virginia Cavaliers convincingly defended the conference title with victories in all five events. [photo credit: ACC Rowing]

The Virginia Cavaliers convincingly defended the conference title with victories in all five events. [photo credit: ACC Rowing]

TEAM STANDINGS
1 Virginia (99 points)
2 Duke (75 points) 
2 Syracuse (75 points) 
3 Notre Dame (68 points)
4 Louisville (60 points)
5 Clemson (47 points) 
6 Boston College (31 points)
7 Miami (22 points) 
8 North Carolina (16 points)

“When Syracuse, Louisville, and Notre Dame joined the league, we knew we were really strengthening the rowing programs. In the third year, we have seen a clear change of speed in the field. I think it is possible moving forward to put three, four, or even five teams into the NCAA Championship.”
— Head Coach Justin Moore

The Cavaliers claimed their 7th straight conference title, bringing the total tally up to 16 championship wins out of the 17 years the regatta has existed. For the forth year in a row they have won all five boat categories. In fact they have won an outstanding 59 out of 65 events ever raced in the ACC. UVA's Varistiy 8+ crew was also named ACC Crew of the Year. Virginia remains undefeated in every respect and their victory granted them an automatic entry at the NCAA Championships. However, other teams have been closing the gap and the conference is becoming one of the strongest in the nation as a result. Syracuse, Notre Dame, and Louisville joined the field as the previous top performing teams in the Big East and Duke has clearly gained some speed in the last year as well. 

Duke, despite the disadvantage of not being able to field a second varsity four and having been expected to place middle of the field based on seedings, shocked everyone with impressive and suspenseful second place finishes in each of the NCAA events (1V8, 2V8, and 1V4). The new head coach of the No. 19 Blue Devils, Megan Cooke Carcagno, was appropriately named ACC Coach of the year. This is the first year since 2004 that Duke has been nationally ranked and based on their performance this weekend, there is a strong argument for them to move up that list. There is a fair chance they may be snagging an NCAA bid as well. 

Lake Hartwell has served as an amazing venue for the ACC Championships for 14 years. Thanks to Clemson University and the ACC for organizing the regatta to make it a pleasure for athletes and spectators alike! Conditions on Lake Hartwell during the Saturday morning heats were impeccable - flat water, calm wind, plenty of sunshine, and temperatures in the low 70s. In anticipation of forecasted winds, the finals schedule was adjusted/reversed to start off Saturday morning finals with the Varsity 8+s and end with the 3V8+s. 

In Syracuse's first race of the day, the Varsity 8+, it was a nail-biting photo finish for second place that was determined by hundredths of a second. UVA maintained the lead, crossing with open water about 5.5 seconds ahead, while Duke and Syracuse battled it out in the final 500m for the runner-up prize. Starting a few seats down on the Blue Devils, the Orange made a powerful surge to close the margin, fighting for each inch in the final sprint to get their bow ball in front. Despite the tremendous effort, Duke finished in 6:20.444, a mere .041 seconds ahead of Syracuse's time of 6:20.485. Although the Orange placed third, there were two positive outcomes. First, Syracuse finally got on the other side of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish, who also transitioned to the ACC in 2014 with the collapse of the Big East Conference, had defeated Syracuse in the championship regatta for over a decade. They were the dominating victors of the Big East for 10 years straight despite some close finishes with the Orange in 2012 and 2013, a trend that continued in 2014 and 2015. This year, Syracuse beat Notre Dame by just over a length. (Across the board, Syracuse edged out Notre Dame in every event except the second varsity eight.) Second, the Orange continued to close the margin on UVA. Previously, the Orange were finishing about 10 seconds back, but on Saturday they reduced that margin nearly in half to 5.5 seconds. 
In the grand final of the 2V8+, there was another photo finish for second between Duke and Notre Dame, but Syracuse was not in that battle, placing fourth. They crossed the finish about 5 seconds behind those two crews and 12 seconds back of winner Virginia. 
The Varsity 4+ final included a tight race for second place with Duke, Syracuse, and Notre Dame overlapping shells as they crossed the finish 6-7seconds back of winner Virginia. Within the span of a second, Duke prevailed to take second in a time of 6:20.1, a margin of .6 seconds over 'Cuse, who had a margin of .4 seconds of Notre Dame. 
The last races of the day were the non-NCAA boats, the 2V4+ and the 3V8+. However, these crews' performances were what allowed Syracuse to earn the team points to share the runner-up award as Duke edged out Syracuse in the V8+ , 2V8+, and V4+, but did not have the same level of depth to compete in the other events. The 2V4+ posted the best Orange result of the day, with a second place finish behind UVA, while the 3V8+ finished third behind Virginia and Louisville respectively. 

V8+

2V8+

1V4+

Special thanks to Marlis Humphrey for capturing these incredible images of all crews at the start! 

 

2V4+

3V8+

LINE-UPS

1V8
C – Vasiliou, McCann, Lee, Fitzpatrick, Caldwell, Tomeny, Taylor, McQuay, Johnson
2V8
C – Spraggins, Gill, Allen, Konishesky, Tobias, Hughes, Ratcliff, Adams, Richard
14V+
C – Menillo, Thornton, Jones, Warnecke, Dorner
2V4+
C – Rodriguez, Humphrey, Habjan, Hemida, McDonald
3V8
C – Litovsky, Moller, Torcivia, Preston, Andolfatto, Ezeamama, Puro, Bengis, Rodgers

ACC ACCOLADES

2016 ACC Rowing Crew of the Year: UVA Varsity 8+
2016 ACC Rowing Freshman/Rookie of the Year: Heidi Long (UVA)
2016 ACC Rowing Coach of the Year: Megan Cooke Carcagno (Duke)

2016 All-ACC Rowing Teams

Deirdre Fitzpatrick

Deirdre Fitzpatrick

Kari Tomeny

Kari Tomeny

First Team
Coxswain—Colette Lucas-Conwell, Virginia
Jennifer Reid, Virginia
Tessa Dikkers, Virginia
Sam Casto, Virginia
Alex Stonehill, Duke
Katie Duckovich, Duke
Deidre Fitzpatrick, Syracuse
Joanna Mulvey, Notre Dame
Kristie Harrison, Louisville

Second Team
Coxswain—Simone Pitre, Duke
Mackenzi Sherman, Virginia
Kari Tomeny, Syracuse
Hilary Shinnick, Notre Dame
Katie Nord, Louisville
Paula Wesselman, Clemson
Catherine Goldberg, Boston College
Chelsea Gustafson, North Carolina
Ally White, Miami

2015 was a record setting year for @UVARowing at #ACCROW. What records will fall this year? pic.twitter.com/BQiloobnsw

— ACC Rowing (@ACCRowing) May 13, 2016

NEXT STEPS
There may not have been any record-setting results this year, but overall the Orange had a strong showing at the ACCs and posted fast times on the course that are on par with elite collegiate crews. After a successful season demonstrating increased speed and team depth, the Orange anxiously await the announcement of selections for the NCAA Championships. The NCAA DI Rowing Selection Show will air Tuesday, May 17 at 5:00 pm ET on NCAA.com. The eleven conference champions will earn automatic bids and the remaining eleven spots in the 22-team field will be filled by at-large bids. For the last three years, Syracuse has just missed out on an NCAA appearance, being highly considered, but not selected. Every training session, every seat race, and every competition has been executed in the hopes of accomplishing the ultimate goal of making it the the national championship to race against the best crews in the country. If the Orange make the cut, they will race at the NCAA DI Rowing Championships, May 27-29, in Gold River California. 

proud to be orange.

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Orange Women Finish Regular Season on a Good Note

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cuse.com article

The No. 16 Syracuse women completed their regular season with solid performances against No. 3 Ohio State and Michigan State. Ohio State won all races, with the exception of the third varsity eight, which went to Syracuse. All other Orange crews placed behind Ohio State and ahead of Michigan State. 

“What color was the blood?!
ORANGE!!”

This marked the second year the Orange has traveled out to the Midwest to compete against some of the biggest names in Division I Rowing. Ohio State has a tremendous reputation for speed and depth, as the defending three-time NCAA Champion since 2013. If you can hang with them, you can hang with any of the top collegiate crews in the country. Last year, the University of Michigan also attended. The Orange also faced both Ohio State and Michigan State at the Clemson Invitational last weekend down in Clemson, SC. It was an incredibly quick turnaround for the student-athletes. The women raced three times in Clemson, returning back to Syracuse after midnight on Monday, with only a few days of recovery and training before having to load up the trailer again on Thursday. It was certainly challenging, but the women rose to the occasion. 

“It’s a lot to ask of the women on our team. They did a phenomenal job. They did a great job of increasing their level of racing.”
— Coach Justin Moore

3V8+ [photo credit: Dawson Powers]

The best performance of the day came from the 3V8+, who recorded an open-water winning time of 6:42.0, nearly seven seconds ahead of second-place Michigan State. Ultimately, the team is striving to narrow the margins and beat teams like Ohio State, such as ACC foe UVA, in the upper boat classes as well. However, the victory was an indication that it can be done and will be sure to give the athletes a boost of confidence. Another positive outcome of the weekend was the 1V8+'s ability to lessen the gap with Ohio State. Having posted times nine or more seconds slower than Ohio last weekend, the crew was only 6.3 seconds off the mark this week, showing improvement in their speed. 

LINE-UPS
1V8
C – Vasiliou, McCann, Lee, Fitzpatrick, Caldwell, McQuay, Taylor, Tomeny, Johnson
2V8
C – Spraggins, Tobias, Konishesky, Ratcliff, Dorner, Warnecke, Hughes, Allen, Adams
14V+
C – Menillo, Gill, Hemida, Habjan, Richards
24V+
C – Rodriguez, Thornton, Jones, McDonald, Humphrey
3V8
C – Litovsky, Moller, Torcivia, Preston, Andolfatto, Ezeamama, Puro, Bengis, Rodgers

 

next steps

As the championship season approaches, it will be exciting to see the Orange race as they continue to gain speed. Without a doubt, the women will be continuing to balance their academic excellence at the end of the semester, however, that certainly will not distract them from focusing on the ultimate task at hand - earning a spot at the National Championship. The Orange have three weeks to prepare for the ACC Championships, again back on Lake Hartwell. Their finishes there will determine whether or not they get the NCAA bid they have been chasing for three years. 

proud to be orange.

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Making Strides at the Clemson Invite

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cuse.com article day 1
cuse.com article day 2

The Orange made a statement against some of the top teams in the country at the Clemson Invite, once again demonstrating the depth of the program. The strong field of 20 teams racing on Lake Hartwell in Clemson, SC represented some of the top ranked teams in the nation and cross-over among multiple conferences; they included: No. 3 Virginia (ACC), No. 4 Ohio State, No. 8 Texas, No. 10 Michigan, No. 13 Indiana, No. 14 Washington State, No. 17 Radcliffe, No. 19 Syracuse (ACC), No. 20 Louisville (ACC), UCLA, San Diego, Penn, Clemson (ACC), Columbia, Cornell, Michigan State, Oregon State, UCF, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.

The 1V4+ clocked the fastest time of the weekend in the boat category on Saturday evening [source: cuse.com photo gallery]

The 1V4+ clocked the fastest time of the weekend in the boat category on Saturday evening [source: cuse.com photo gallery]

As the photos from the regatta display, conditions on Lake Hartwell were beautiful and made for some great racing. Once again, Clemson did an incredible job hosting with superb accommodations for the athletes at their impressive facilities and coordination of real time results and video for spectators who couldn't enjoy the races from the grand stand in person. It's a terrific venue and world-class course. The Orange is certainly familiar with the venue as they visit Clemson for racing multiple times in the spring. They spend an entire week there for the spring training trip and then head down for the Invitational and later the ACC Championships, making the course (and the hotel) a second home of sorts. Strong performances by all of the ACC teams in attendance demonstrated the level of talent in the conference and set a pre-cursor to the championship racing.

The Clemson Invitational is perhaps one of the most important regattas on the women's race schedule because there are so many teams, particularly from the power conferences (ACC, Big 10, Pac-12, Ivy League). Since the transition from regional to conference qualifiers for the NCAA, it has been critical to get teams from different conferences together to have a chance for an at-large bid. As the level of competition rises in DI Rowing, Syracuse's performance at this race sets a reputation and momentum for where they will stand when selections are made for the national championship in May. The regatta is also a great opportunity for the athletes to test their fitness and endurance because the format is structured similarly to a championship race where athletes race 2,000m more than once over the course of a day/weekend with only a few hours to recover in between. The crews also get multiple opportunities to test their speed, strategies, and make improvements over the course.

“The team is really coming together and unified. I have never seen this team more committed to one another than they were today.”
— Coach Justin Moore

O'Leary Cup

For the first time since 2001, and only the second time in the program's history, the Orange took home the O'Leary Cup, contested annually between Syracuse, Radcliffe, and Dartmouth since 2000 in the varsity eight race. The O'Leary Cup is named in honor of Liz O'Leary, head coach of Radcliffe since 1986. Although Dartmouth was not present in Clemson this year as they had been previously, competitions between the teams at earlier regattas determined the outcome. On April 3rd, Dartmouth and Radcliffe raced Brown on the Charles River in Boston, where Radcliffe's V8+ crushed Dartmouth's crew in a staggering 23 seconds. following day, the Orange raced the Big Green at the Doc Hosea Invite in Saratoga Springs, NY,  where Syracuse's V8+ won over Dartmouth by a margin of nearly 16 seconds. Syracuse was deemed the overall winner after crossing the line just under 5 seconds ahead of Radcliffe in Heat 2 of the V8+ during Session 1 in Clemson. SU assistant coach Alicea Kochis rowed in the Orange V8+ that won the cup in 2001 before making a grand final appearance at the NCAA Championships. Perhaps it's a sign that Syracuse is on its way to an NCAA appearance this year!

The V8+ crew proudly holding the O'Leary Cup for the first time in 15 years! [photo credit: surowing on Instagram]

Heat 2 of the V8+ Saturday morning [photo credit: Marlis Humphrey]

making a statement

In total, the Orange raced 15 events, three times for each boat category. Each race the Orange posted times in the top 10 (with the exception of the V8+ on Saturday afternoon with the 11th fastest time) and finished 4th or higher in every heat of 6 or 7 crews. In the majority of races, Syracuse finished in the top 6 fastest times. The highlight of the weekend came from the Varsity 4+ who won their heat and clocked the fastest time of all the fours. The past few years, Syracuse's 1V4+ has been the top performing boat of the regatta and this year was no exception. The crew continued a great legacy and proved how deep the talent and power of the entire squad has gotten over the last five years. The women were particularly strong in the second half of the race, making huge moves from behind. The crews exhibited some grit and fight down the course and took away important lessons to implement into their training and preparation for the final races of the season leading into the championship races. Getting to the NCAA is the ultimate goal. During one of the V8+ races, the commentator at the start recounted the fact that Syracuse has been on the bubble the last few years and doesn't want to repeat that trend. This year, it is clear the women are as hungry as ever to earn a spot on the big stage.

ORANGE FINISHES
1V8+
[1] 3rd in heat, 7th time overall; [2] 4th in heat, 11th time overall; [3] 3rd in heat, 6th time overall
2V8+
[1] 3rd in heat, 9th time overall; [2] 2nd in heat, 6th time overall; [3] 3rd in heat, 7th time overall
1V4+
[1] 4th in heat, 6th time overall; [2] 1st in heat, 1st time overall; [3] 3rd in heat, 6th time overall
2V4+
[1] 3rd in heat, 6th time overall; [2] 1st in heat, 6th time overall; [3] 3rd in heat, 4th time overall
3V8+
[1] 2nd in heat, tough conditions - couldn't compare times; [2] 3rd in heat, 6th time overall; [3] 2nd in heat, 4th time overall

1V8+

2V8+

1V4+

 

2V4+

3V8+

Thanks to Marlis Humphrey for capturing such spectacular photos of the crews at the start!

LINE-UPS
1V8
C – Vasiliou, McCann, Lee, Fitzpatrick, Caldwell, McQuay, Taylor, Tomeny, Johnson
2V8
C – Spraggins, Tobias, Konishesky, Ratcliff, Dorner, Warnecke, Hughes, Allen, Adams
1V4+
C – Menillo, Gill, Hemida, Habjan, Richards
2V4+
C – Rodriguez, Thornton, Jones, McDonald, Humphrey
3V8
C – Litovsky, Moller, Torcivia, Preston, Andolfatto, Ezeamama, Puro, Bengis, Rodgers

New Unis! Proudly wearing that "S" on the chest. The referees won't be confusing the Orange with UVA anymore :) [photo credit: Marlis Humphrey]

next steps

Next up, the Orange head to Ohio to once again take on three-time defending national champion Ohio State and Michigan State. Stay tuned for more information on the race.

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Orange Excels at the Inaugural Doc Hosea Invite

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cuse.com article

In the women's first official race of the 2016 spring season, the Orange dominated as a team, winning 8 out of 10 events. The field of competitors in the inaugural regatta included 10 teams: Syracuse, University of Pennsylvania, Northeastern, Dartmouth, Cornell, Boston University, University of Rhode Island, Navy, University of Minnesota, and University of Massachusetts.

Sunday morning, athletes brushed snow off the boats and equipment before taking to the water. [photo credit: Carolina Ratcliff]

The inaugural regatta is named in memory of Dr. Tim Hosea who died suddenly in August 2015 and was appropriately known for being the town doctor or caregiver for the sport of rowing for over 30 years. The competition is a spin-off of 2015's Nordic 9 which was hosted by Cornell on Cayuga Lake in Ithaca, NY. The intent has been to get together a group of northern schools who have all endured the challenges of harsh winters during their preparation for the start of the season to establish a relatively level playing field in that respect. The regatta was graciously hosted by Saratoga Rowing Association on Fish Creek in Saratoga Springs, NY. Despite the lovely spring weather at the end of March, cold temperatures and some overnight snow introduced conditions the athletes were more than familiar with. Saturday there was a blustery cross-head wind, but the water was fairly good. Sunday conditions were cold, with a cross-tail winds that made the course more challenging as the morning progressed, although the water was relatively flat and protected to start.

race format and results

Originally, the structure was two heats with A and B finals, where the A finals would include the top two finishers of each heat and the next fastest time and the B final would include the last two finishes of each heat and the slower of the third place times. Due to the oncoming snow, the schedule was shifted up to have the first two rounds of racing late Saturday afternoon and the final rounds of racing early Sunday morning set up as grouped heat races for V8+, 2V8+, V4+, 2V4+, and 3V8+ events. Races were run on 10 minute centers in the order of V8+, 2V8+, V4+, 2V4+, 3V8+. For those who recall last year's Nordic 9, blustery conditions, strong currents and lots of debris in the inlet led to the capsizing of Syracuse's 2V8+ and the cancellation of the majority of races on the second day of racing, thus precautions were taken and races went off smoothly.

SATURDAY:
Round 1: Syracuse, Penn, Northeastern, URI, BU
Round 2: Minnesota, Dartmouth, Cornell, Navy, UMass

SUNDAY:
Round 3: Syracuse, Minnesota, Dartmouth, Northeastern, Navy
Round 4: Penn, Cornell, Navy, URI, BU

Complete results on row2k:

[photo credit: Zoe Preston]

ORANGE FINISHES:
V8+ 2nd (to Penn by 1 sec.), 1st [in Round 1 Syracuse had breakage before the start]
2V8+ 1st, 2nd (to Minnesota by .24 sec.)
V4+ 1st, 1st
2V4+ 1st, 1st
3V8+ 1st, 1st

LINE-UPS:
V8+
Rodriguez (c), McCann, Carey, Fitzpatrick, Caldwell, Tomeny, Taylor, McQuay, Lee
2V8+
Spraggins (c), Johnson, Tobias, Dorner, Warnecke, Konishesky, Ratcliff, Adams, Allen
V4+
Vasiliou (c), Thornton, Hemida, Habjan, Richards
2V4+
Menillo (c), Gill, Jones, Hughes, Humphrey
3V8+
Litovsky (c), Moller, Torcivia, Preston, Puro, Ezeamama, Andolfatto, Bengis, McDonald

the Orange Challenge Cup & the Kittell Cup

Although the annual Orange Challenge and Kittell Cups had been traditionally contested in dual/tri style format rotating through host venues, in recent years the cup races have been integrated into the heats of invitational regattas. This allows the opponents to race each other for the cup in contention, while also having the opportunity for greater cross-over with teams they otherwise would not have raced.
The Orange Challenge Cup has been contested annually by Northeastern, Syracuse, and Penn since 1979 (except 1994 when no race was held). The winner of the cup is determined by the outcome of the Varsity 8+ event. While the Huskies boast the most wins, the Orange came in this year as the defending champions, having claimed the cup in 2013, 2014, and 2015. The match-up was folded into last year's Nordic 9, where the Orange had a clean sweep against Penn and Northeastern; however, because the V8+ did not race due to darkness, unsafe conditions, and debris there was no determined winner. Consequently, the outcome was decided by the results of various competitions, where the Orange came out on top, coincidently also in Saratoga Springs. This year the Orange Challenge Cup went back to Penn, who finished the V8+ Heat 1 in first with a time of 7:14.49, followed by Syracuse in 7:15.45 and Northeastern in 7:17.46. With the exception of the V8+, the Orange again beat the Quakers and the Huskies to the finish line in the 2V8+, V4+.
The Kittell Cup has been contested annually by Boston University and Syracuse since 2003. The winner is determined by the outcome of the Varsity 8+ event. The Kittell Cup was donated by former SU rower Kristen Bidwell '90. In 2015, BU and SU did not race for the cup, however Syracuse had claimed it previously. In the first heat of racing, the Orange finished in second with a time of 7:15.45 ahead of the 5th place Terriers clocking 7:49.52. Syracuse holds on to the Kittell Cup for another year.

highlights and next steps

Despite not retaining the Orange Challenge Cup, the Orange had a very strong showing on Fish Creek. The team's ability to win 8 out of 10 events demonstrates a tremendous amount of team depth, particularly in the varsity 4+ and third varsity 8+ categories where margins to the next fastest time were considerable. However there is certainly a lot of pressure placed on the Varsity 8+ as the priority boat, and it was this boat that truly exemplified the spirit and drive it is going to take to make it to the NCAAs this year and no longer be on the bubble. After Saturday's loss, the crew had every intention to redeem themselves and leave it out on the water. More so than any physiological or technical training that had been done in preparation for this race, it was the heart and grit of the athletes that propelled them to the finish of 6:34.23, by far the fastest time of the weekend and nearly 12 seconds ahead of second-place Minnesota. In an interview, Senior Kelsey Thornton, native of nearby Clifton Park, NY, expressed how deeply engrained the goal of making it to the NCAAs this year is in their minds. As leaders, the seniors have been pushing the team to get there and finally burst the bubble that has had them just missing out on the national championship the last three years. She explained how everyday is a seat race, in the way that athletes are always competing with each other to bring out their greatest strengths, both physical and mental. Thornton also spoke about how perfect the course is for racing and reminisced of when she rowed there in high school. Up next, the Orange will face some of the country's top-ranked teams at the Clemson Invite April 16-17th. But that doesn't mean they get next weekend off; they will be continuing to push themselves past their limits in training and when doing their 2K assessments.

Proud to be ORANGE.

[photo credit: Isabelle Rodgers]