Miami wins Cal Cup at the San Diego Crew Classic
April 2, 2006
San Diego, Calif. – The University of Miami rowing squad won its first ever Sam Adams/Mesa Distributing Cup on the final day of racing at the San Diego Crew Classic on Mission Bay. The Hurricanes qualified for the Grand Final by winning their heat on Saturday and won in impressive style, wire-to-wire to seal the Women’s Cal Cup Division victory on Sunday.
Everything seemed to be going Miami’s way as the clouds broke over Mission Bay and the temperature rose. It was an ideal day for racing and the Hurricanes took advantage. Jumping out to an early lead Miami pressed to gain water on the other crews. Once ahead, they refused to give an inch as Kansas State, St. Joseph’s and Sacramento State all threatened to make a run.
Senior coxswain Laura Comeau was able to direct the Hurricanes to their first Cal Cup in her third try. “We were really confident coming in, not cockiness or false confidence but from trusting your whole boat and knowing that you put in the work to get here, ” she said. Miami had to work hard out of lane three, qualifying with the second fastest time behind Sacramento State. “We didn’t have any numbers,” Comeau said, “we went on feel, reacting and attacking, very poised, very confident, fun.”
Rachel Clausing, the only other Senior in the boat and three time competitor agreed with Comeau, “we went out confident, relaxed and ready to race and we were able to get it done.”
Miami definitely “got it done” beating its closest competitor Kansas State by over three seconds. “It was a really fun race; we got ahead and never looked back, just stayed relaxed and cruised through the course, ” Clausing said.
Clausing and Comeau had different reactions to the win, “crossing the line it took a few seconds for it to really sink in and you can’t really explain the jubilation,” Comeau explained. For Clausing, “satisfaction, it was just a really satisfying way to end my last race in San Diego.”
The Hurricanes head home with the hardware on Monday to prepare for the Florida State Championships in Miami beginning Friday, April 7 and ending Saturday, April 8 in Miami.
Women’s Cal Cup – Grand Final
Miami – 7:05.3
(Laura Comeau (coxswain), Sarah Conlon, Emy Huntsman, Laura Cordner, Laura Coltman, Natasha Lejer, Rachel Clausing, Beth Krawec, Kelly Amsler)
Kansas State – 7:08.58
St. Joseph’s – 7:10.87
Sacramento State – 7:12.12
Navy – 7:14.68
UC Davis – 7:17.61
