Miami's 1st Varsity Eight Wins C Final At Aramark Sprints
May 18, 2008
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The University of Miami’s 1st Varsity Eight crew won the “C” championship race in a time of 6:51.200 while UM placed 15th overall as a team – improving two places from its 2007 finish – as racing concluded Sunday at the 2008 Aramark Sprints/Central and South Region Championships on Milton Hill Lake. The 1st Varsity Eight crew placed 13th overall in a field of 22, moving up four spots from the crew’s 17th-place finish last year at the sprints.
The Hurricanes, who finished with 132 points overall, also placed seventh in the South Region, easily ahead of conference foes Duke (87 points) and North Carolina (67).
“I am thrilled that we were able to improve in all of our races over our performance from last season,” head coach Robbie Tenenbaum said. “Our biggest improvement was in the 1st Varsity 8, where we were able to win the `C’ final and beat some boats that we lost to earlier in the racing season.”
Miami’s 1st Varsity Eight crew of coxswain Shira Kharrazi, stroke Louise Parry, Laura Cordner, Nicola Saner, Bethany Krawec, Kelly Amsler, Emily Wingrove, Monika Sajincic and bow Karalyn Van Aken came away with its second thrilling win over Indiana this season, beating out the second-place Hoosiers, 6:51.200-to-6:52.700 to claim the final. The :01.500-second win Sunday comes about a month and a half after UM edged out IU, 7:46.6-to-7:47.2, when the two crews raced in tough conditions in East Lansing, Mich. April 5.
“Our 1st Varsity 8 had a terrific race today,” Tenenbaum added. “It was great to see all the smiles on their faces.”
In Miami’s other three “C” finals on Sunday, the Hurricanes placed third in the Open Four and fifth in both the 2nd Varsity Eight and the Varsity Four races.
The Open Four crew of coxswain Heather Hollembeak, stroke Alexa McCanick, Elizabeth Teel, Megan James and bow Ally Hodgkins came across in a time of 8:19.200, trailing only first-place Tennessee and second-place Louisville.
UM’s 2nd Varsity Eight crew of coxswain Christina Crocco, stroke Stephanie Parrish, Marleena Eyre, Caitlin Augustin, Rachael Sporko, Sarah Medland, Hannah McKay, Olivia Arkell and bow Tara Eddings placed fifth in the “C” final, coming in at 7:14.750 while the Varsity Four crew of coxswain Ana Mantilla, stroke Julianne Parker, Stacey Kerr, Molly Thornton and bow Courtney Guy also placed fifth in a time of 8:24.100.
“The team has worked very hard all season, and as their coach, I am very proud of everyone’s performance,” Tenenbaum said. “We all made some gigantic steps forward this season, and we will continue to get better next year.”
Virginia won its second consecutive Aramark Cup – in addition to claiming the South Region title – with 407 points, edging out Michigan State (371), Ohio State (351) and Wisconsin (348) for the cup.
