Rowing Competes in Miami Invitational
MIAMI BEACH, Fla.— The University of Miami rowing program hosted its final home regatta of the 2013 season this weekend on the Indian Creek Waterway in Miami Beach, Fla.
The Canes battled against UCF, SMU and Old Dominion over two days of competitive racing at the Miami Invitational. The winds were high this weekend, making for challenging conditions for all four teams.
Saturday’s morning races pitted the Hurricane crews against Old Dominion in the Varsity 8+, Second Varsity 8+, and Varsity 4+ categories. Miami entered into this match having lost to ODU in their last match-race meeting in Norfolk two years ago.
The first boat to race in the morning session was the Varsity 8+. The Canes jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. The head winds and gusty conditions on Indian Creek didn’t yield fast times on the day but the 1V was able to stretch their lead over the course and crossed the line in 6:56.8, 24.4 seconds ahead of ODU’s 7:21.2.
The second Varsity 8+ followed the example set by their teammates and jumped out to an early lead on the Lady Monarchs and continued to press all the way down the 2000m course. They built on the early lead as both crews battled the windy conditions. Miami won the race by over five boat-lengths, crossing the finish line in 7:15.6.
The Varsity 4+ battled through the closest race of the day against Old Dominion. The Canes held an early advantage off the line and were able build up nearly a half boat-length lead. However, a patient Lady Monarch crew began to make up ground at about 750m and crept back until finally overtaking in the third 500m. A strong push to the finish gave nearly a seven-second margin to ODU as they crossed the line 8:16.5.
Miami faced UCF in the afternoon portion of Saturday’s races. In addition to racing in the Varsity 8+, Second Varsity 8+, and Varsity 4+ categories, the two programs faced off in the Novice 8+ division.
Like they did on Saturday morning, both Miami’s 1V and 2V jumped out to early leads and stretched their advantage over the entire course. The 1V was able to finish more than 14 seconds ahead, crossing the finish in a time of 7:00.9. The 2V turn in a similar result, crossing the finish line nine seconds ahead of UCF in 7:14.1.
In the V4+ event, the Golden Knights were able to avenge a loss from a week ago at the Clemson Invitational with a 5.3 second win over the Canes.
Miami faced off against SMU in Sunday’s final day of racing. The Hurricanes and Mustangs competed in the Varsity 8+, Second Varsity 8+, and Varsity 4+ categories.
The Canes continued their streak of strong starts in the 1V and 2V races, jumping off the line to take a quick lead on the Mustangs. The leads continued to grow over the 2000m with the Varsity posting a 28-second victory and the 2V crossing the line nearly 32 seconds ahead of SMU. The Varsity 4+ got back on track on Sunday, defeating the Mustangs by 52 seconds.
“Our racing went quite well this weekend and having the two varsity eights go undefeated on the weekend is encouraging as we enter final preparations for the ACC Championship,” Miami head rowing coach Andrew Carter said. “The 4+ continues to make strides and we’ll be working hard to use the next two weeks wisely as they ramp up to the Conference Regatta.”
Sunday marked the final day of competition at the Ronald W. Shane Watersports Center for seniors Kata Horvath and Katie Stanzilis. Following the conclusion of the day’s races, the Canes celebrated Senior Day by recognizing the contributions of both seniors.
“The advancement of this program in the past couple of years has as much to do with the women on this team as anything and there are no better examples of that than Kata and Katie,” Carter said. “Their vision, persistence and leadership by example are what any coach could hope for and their impact on this program cannot be measured.”
The Hurricanes will return to action in two weeks when they compete at the ACC Championships in Clemson, S.C. on May 12.
For official updates on Miami rowing, visit HurricaneSports.com. You can also “Like” our Facebook page at facebook.com/URowing.
SATURDAY MORNING RESULTS – Miami vs. ODU
Varsity 8+
Miami 6:56.8
ODU 7:21.2
2nd Varsity 8+
Miami 7:15.6
ODU 7:31.1
Varsity 4+
ODU 8:16.5
Miami 8:23.3
SATURDAY AFTERNOON RESULTS – Miami vs. UCF
Varsity 8+
Miami 7:00.9
UCF 7:15.1
2nd Varsity 8+
Miami 7:14.1
UCF 7:23.2
Varsity 4+
UCF 8:21.3
Miami 8:26.6
Novice 8+
UCF 7:28.0
Miami 8:28.7
SUNDAY MORNING RESULTS – Miami vs. SMU
Varsity 8+
Miami 6:54.4
SMU 7:22.9
2nd Varsity 8+
Miami 7:10.4
SMU 7:42.0
Varsity 4+
Miami 8:16.8
SMU 9:09.4
Novice 8+
UCF 7:25.6
Miami 8:29.2
Miami Invitational Lineups
1V8+
Ally Whitty
Hannah Nielsen
Hannah Hawks
Caitlin Lowe
Sarah Aschebrock
Katie Guest
Breanna Hayton
Kata Horvath
Emily Eidelman (coxswain)
2V8+
Katie Stanzilis
Nichole Zayan
Erin Ryan
Courtney Keller
Maggie Fragel
Devon Phelan-Patton
Hannah Meister
Caroline Escobar
Sophie Doughty (coxswain)
V4+
Zoey Neudeck
Nicola Eick
Kelly O’Boyle
Fay Gilbert
Meghan Hamilton (coxswain)
