The University of Rhode Island women’s rowing team returned to action on Saturday to compete against Boston University, the College of the Holy Cross and the University of Delaware.
The Rams’ First Varsity 8+ boat of first-years, Charlotte Aeder and coxswain Lily Stasaitis, second-years Nora Lake, Liz Mayer, Sierra Munroe, Sasha Hanewald, third-year Brigid McShea and fourth-year Bethany Nordstrom beat Delaware to take the morning race with a time of 6:46.34.
The First Varsity 8+ boat also won the afternoon race with a time of 6:49.2. Delaware followed closely behind, finishing in 6:55.8. Holy Cross finished last of the three schools with a time of 7:10.3.
“All the work they’ve been putting in paid off this weekend,” Rhode Island head coach Shelagh Donohoe said. “They hit their potential, with these young athletes, it’s taken a little bit to get them in the right place and teach them, you’ve got to know how to win.”
The Second Varsity 8+ races, Rhode Island’s boat of first-years Danika Rogers and coxswain Rachel Bauhaus, second-year Sage Sabatino, third-years Amanda Cubit, Anna Kann, Payton Klein, Anna Smith, fourth-years Emma Larsh and Abigail Galavda, won their morning and afternoon races.
In a tight morning heat, the Rams secured the win with a time of 7:03.05. Delaware followed three seconds later at 7:06.5, narrowly edging out Holy Cross, which clocked in at 7:06.56. Boston University’s boats rounded out the field with times of 7:13.8 and 7:18.11.
The afternoon races were equally close, with the Rams sealing the win in 7:02.4, just two seconds ahead of Delaware in 7:04.2. Holy Cross came in third in 7:09.3, Boston University took fourth in 7:22.4, while a second Holy Cross boat rounded out the field in 8:07.9.
“I think we’ve got to work on a few things,” Donohoe said. “Delaware’s strong competition, Holy Cross, gave us a good push as well. It’s not so much about them as much as it is about us and working on certain parts of the race to get more speed.”
The First Varsity 4+ boat of first-years Sophia Thyer, Irma Accuis, second-year coxswain Kate Sullivan, third-year Maddy Papik and fourth-year Lucy Lyons was victorious in the morning race with a time of 7:48.2.
Delaware came in closely behind Rhode Island with a time of 7:48.99, followed by Holy Cross in 7:59.82.
In the afternoon, Rhode Island edged Holy Cross again with a time of 7:51.3; the Crusaders finished in 7:53.3. Delaware rounded out the three schools with a finish of 8:00.1.
“In a tight situation, they really held it together,” Donohoe said. “Able to push their bow across first, in the end, that’s all that matters.”
The Rams claimed victory in three morning and three afternoon races, falling short only in events featuring their second and third varsity 4+ boats.
In the morning session, Boston University took first place with a time of 7:48.3. Rhode Island’s second varsity 4+ finished second in 8:01.49, followed by Delaware in 8:04.33, the Rhode Island third varsity 4+ in 8:21.73 and Holy Cross in 8:29.36.
In the afternoon, Boston University’s top two crews took the first two spots with times of 7:47.3 and 7:53.6. Rhode Island’s second varsity 4+ finished third in 7:59.8, followed by Delaware in 8:01.0 and a third Boston University boat in 8:08.7. The Rhode Island third varsity 4+ completed the race in 8:23.4
Though the Rams had success in this week’s races, the team is about three weeks away from the Atlantic 10 Championship on May 16 at the Cooper River in Cherry Hill, N.J.
“Now they’re able to go out there and start to show more consistency,” Donohoe said. “They know what to expect on race day. We don’t leave it up to anyone else; it’s up to us and how we race. The A-10s is what we’re peaking for, and that’s what we’ll keep our eye on.”
Rhode Island will return to Worcester, Mass., for its last race of the regular season, the Eastern Sprints at Lake Quinsigamond.
“This upcoming race is a good race for us,” Donohoe said. “We race some of the top teams in the country. We’ll be in tight situations, racing a lot of fast programs. It will give us a good indication on our speed.”
Rhode Island’s goal this season is to defend its Atlantic 10 title and look to clinch a third consecutive championship.
