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.”
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.