April 16, 2016
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GOLD RIVER, California — The No. 16 University of Iowa women’s rowing team finished runner-up in six events at the Lake Natoma Invitational Saturday. The Hawkeyes faced elite national crews from No. 1 Brown, No. 2 California Berkeley, No. 15 Gonzaga, No. 18 Notre Dame, and Sacramento State.
The weather was sunny and warm with no wind. Temperatures were in the 60s and grew to highs in the 80s as racing progressed.
“Both V8’s finished a hair outside three seconds off Brown which I think is a solid result. Brown is an outstanding team and obviously very highly regarded,” said third-year head coach Andrew Carter. “After a less-than-stellar performance in their morning races, I think that showed a good ability to refocus and to get back on task.”
“They did a good job of that, and I think that their consistency over the course this afternoon was a much improved. Both crews stayed in contact with Brown throughout. That demonstrated much better discipline and that level of discipline is necessary for you to race crews at that caliber.”
MORNING SESSION
The Hawkeyes opened racing against No. 2 California and No. 18 Notre Dame at the Lake Natoma Invitational. Iowa posted two runner-up finishes with two third place finishes.“The morning was eerily similar to last week. We came out just a little flat in the first round and had to collect ourselves between the two sessions,” said Carter. “I think as a group all of them did a good job of collecting themselves, so the second round was better, but certainly our morning session was reminiscent of the Big Ten Double Dual where we also weren’t our best in the first round.”
The 1V4+ crew posted Iowa’s first runner-up of the day, besting the Irish by 11.24 seconds in the first race. California Berkeley crossed 16.28 ahead of the Hawkeyes. The crew consisted of Baillie McCunn,Victoria Bricker,Jessica Streur,Bianca DiBellonia,and coxswain Faith Wieland.
“I think the best performance was out of our 1V4+ this morning. It wasn’t terrifically close racing, but, still, they were the most composed of our crews in the first round,” said Carter.
Iowa’s 2V8+ fell in the second race of the day after the 1V4+ recorded i’s runner-up finish. In the 1V8+, the Hawkeyes hung closer to Notre Dame but ultimately fell in the end to both the Irish and Cal.
Iowa finished the morning session with the 2V4+ against Cal and Sacramento State. The Hawkeyes crossed second behind Cal but with a 24.58 second margin over Sac State.
AFTERNOON SESSION
After almost a six-hour break, the Hawkeyes returned to the water for the afternoon set of racing against No. 1 Brown and unranked Sacramento State. Iowa posted runner-up finishes in each of the events, falling to Brown in each but finishing ahead of the Hornets.The Hawkeyes picked up steam and pressured Brown in the 8+ action, rebounding from the morning session.
“In the 1V8+ event, we were the only crew that actually improved our time from the morning. The conditions were great but not quite as quick as the morning round. Both our 8+’s were able to make up time on the field, which is what I expected. I know that they’re better than what they showed in the morning and I’m pleased they were able to get themselves back on track.”
The 2V8+ finished behind #1 Brown by just 3.21 seconds, besting Sacramento State by over 23 seconds in the process. The boat was comprised of Rebecca Thompson,Gemma Kerr,Morgan Grastorf,Dani Bender,Claire Benschoter,Kat Tillman,Sarah Powell,Madeline Anglin, and coxswainGeorgia Sanderson.
The 1V8+ followed suit with a runner-up margin of only 3.32 seconds behind the #1 Bears. Iowa finished 24.56 seconds ahead of Sac State.
Racing continues tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. (CT) against No. 12 Wisconsin, No. 15 Gonzaga and No. 18 Notre Dame.
“We have to get ourselves ready to race our best first thing in the morning and that’s the biggest challenge in front of us right now. We need to do a better job of that. With the programs we’re facing tomorrow, it’s shaping up to be really good racing.”
“Wisconsin is in really good form right now, so they’re going to be something we are going to have to deal with. Gonzaga showed some speed today, so that’s also something that’s going require our best. Notre Dame bested us in the morning, but, given our better form in the afternoon, it’s really up in the air.”
Line Ups
1V8+: Nina Hendriks, Zoe Ribar, Ashley Duda, Kaelynn Heiberg, Izzy Dolba, Cristy Hartman, Hannah Hawks, Beth Baustian, Katie Brown (coxswain)
2V8+: Rebecca Thompson, Gemma Kerr, Morgan Grastorf, Dani Bender, Claire Benschoter, Kat Tillman, Sarah Powell, Madeline Anglin, Georgia Sanderson (coxswain)
1V4+: Baillie McCunn, Victoria Bricker, Jessica Streur, Bianca DiBellonia, Faith Wieland (coxswain)
2V4+: Ameilia Koehn, Trisha Huerta, Lauren Subler, Ashlyn Bauer, Ellen Cranberg (coxswain)