Hawkeyes Start the Season Strong

DES MOINES, Iowa — The University of Iowa rowing program started its fall season on a high note at the Head of the Des Moines Regatta on Saturday, Sept. 26 at Prospect Park. The Hawkeyes posted three first place finishes, topping Big Ten opponent Minnesota in two events and in-state foe Drake in one.

“Today went well,” third-year head coach Andrew Carter said. “For a lot of them racing over three miles, they did a good job.

“The crews took a lot of the technical skills we have been working on and applied them in the race. If we can continue to do that and work with more confidence we will be able to pick up speed throughout the season.”

The Hawkeyes dominated the women’s collegiate 8+ event earning first, third, fourth, and sixth places. UI’s winning boat clocked a time of 17:23.925, besting the Golden Gophers by more than four seconds (17:28.520). Iowa’s third place boat posted a time of 17:50.642 and was followed closely by the fourth place crew (17:52.264). The team’s final crew rounded out standings with a sixth place finish, crossing at 18:25.570.

Iowa continued to excel in the women’s collegiate 4+, earning the top four finishes in the event. The first crew crossed at 19:39.154 and the runner-up followed seven seconds behind (19:46.186). The third and fourth place boats edged the fifth-place Minnesota crew by 26 seconds (20:13.574) and 13 seconds (20:26.470), respectively.

The Hawkeyes kept their win streak alive with a first place result in the women’s collegiate novice 8+. The crew turned in an effort of 19:40.490, more than two minutes in front of the runner-up Drake (21:46.740).

Iowa fell to Minnesota in the collegiate 2- earning spots fourth through sixth. The Hawkeyes fastest boat came in at 22:39.779, trailing Minnesota’s first place boat by one second (21.36.052).

Iowa looks to continue its successful start next week with a pair of scrimmages against Big Ten Conference opponent and back-to-back NCAA Championship qualifier Indiana on Oct. 2-3. Crews will race on the Iowa River at 4 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. on Saturday.

Lineups (crews listed in order of finish):

Collegiate Women 8+

1V8+: Nina Hendriks, Zoe Ribar, Jessica Streur, Gemma Kerr, Claire Benschoter, Cristy Hartman, Hannah Hawks, Beth Baustian, Katie Brown (coxswain)

2V8+: Sarah Powell, Kaelynn Heiberg, Hannah Bristowe, Lauren Subler, Morgan Grastorf, Kat Tillman, Rebecca Thompson, Madeline Anglin, McKinzie Cowley (coxswain)

3V8+: Denika Kelsall, Andjela Milenkovic, Bianca DiDellonia, Danielle Bender, Amelia Koehn, Victoria Bricker, Izzy Dolba, Ashley Duda, Ellen Cranberg (coxswain)

4V8+: Ballie McCunn, Rachael Jipp, Trisha Huerta, Ashlynn Bauer, Alyssa Wagenknecht, Lauren VanderWall, Zora Marinkovich, Skylar McSorley, Rachel Chambers (coxswain)

Collegiate Women’s 4+

1V4+: Rebecca Thompson, Kaelynn Heiberg, Claire Benschoter, Gemma Kerr, McKinzie Cowley (coxswain)

2V4+: Nina Hendriks, Cristy Hartman, Hannah Hawks, Beth Baustian, Katie Brown (coxswain)

3V4+: Jessica Streur, Lauren Subler, Morgan Grastorf, Zoe Ribar, Ellen Cranberg (coxswain)

4V4+: Sarah Powell, Victoria Bricker, Izzy Dolba, Kat Tillman, Lisa Morales (coxswain)

Collegiate Novice Women 8+

1V8+: Andjela Milenkovic, Sydney Foster, Lou Krieger-Coen, Katherine Frye, Sarah Honken, Alysson Wittmeyer , Hannah Bristowe, Rachel Canon, Elizabeth Pritchard (coxswain)

Women’s Collegiate 2-

1V2-: Beth Baustian, Hannah Hawks

2V2-: Nina Hendriks, Zoe Ribar

3V2-: Gemma Kerr, Rebecca Thompson