Hawkeyes Finish Weekend at Sarasota 2K

SARASOTA, FLA.- The University of Iowa rowing team 1V8 and 1V4 competed in the A finals, 2V8 in the B finals, and 2V4 in the C finals during the second day of racing at the Sarasota 2K on Saturday at Nathan Benderson Park.

The Hawkeyes raced in the finals of 2000-meter sprints against a strong field of competition, including No. 18 Alabama, Boston College, Dartmouth, High Point, Iowa, Jacksonville, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Miami (FL), Michigan State, Old Dominion, Tulsa, No. 25 UCF, UMass, No. 21 UNC, and West Virginia.

Iowa’s top placement of the day was the 2V4 in the C final, with a second-place finish, finishing only three seconds behind first. The other Hawkeye boats all improved their times by at least five seconds.

The Hawkeyes are back in action April 11-12 against Kansas and San Diego in Lawrence, Kansas at Wyandotte County Lake.

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH JEFF GARBUTT
“I felt that the team really handled themselves well this weekend. Travel always challenges you outside your comfort zones and this group did a fantastic job balancing the demands of the weekend. The weather and conditions were challenging which added to the challenges of racing some great competition. Many of the women had their first taste of DI varsity rowing and I am proud of how they showed improvement over the three rounds of racing. As we continue to prep for B1G Championships in May and Kansas in two weeks, we are going to continue pushing our fitness levels and increasing our boat speeds, finding another gear of speed during the race. Everyone on our squad is ready to get back to work and try and shine our brightest when it matters. Go Hawks!”

FINISHES
Iowa was pulling strong at the start of the race, with the field remaining tight through 500 meters. Dartmouth and Miami took a couple seats in the middle meters, beginning to separate from the group. UCF surged to take the lead with Iowa maintaining connection. Iowa made a final push in the last 250 meters to stay connected with the leaders, finishing less than two seconds behind Big Ten rival Michigan State.

Varsity Eight
1 UCF (6:27.05)
2 Dartmouth (6:29.97)
3 UNC (6:30.58)
4 Michigan State (6:32.55)
5 Iowa (6:34.18)
6 Miami (6:37.01)
Iowa: Natalie Maher (cox), Orla Cuffe, Molly Shannon, Scarlett Maleham, Mia Lawrence, Poppy Brook-Turner, Lily Beardsley, Sophia Foreman, Emma Rayner

Iowa came out strong, with the whole field overlapping in the first 500 meters. Louisville took a three-seat lead over the Hawkeyes in the middle meters. In the final 250 meters, Iowa, Louisville, Kansas, and Jacksonville all made a push to break away from one another. It was a tight finish, with Iowa finding the grit to push just ahead of Louisville.

II Varsity Eight
1 Kansas 6:53.08)
2 Tulsa (6:53.35)
3 Iowa (6:54.27)
4 Louisville (6:54.54)
5 Boston College (6:58.60)
6 UMass (7:12.10)
Iowa: Cara Burns (cox), Annabel Rayner, Soph Pepper, Karire Evans, Haley Reeves, Olivia Smothers, Meghan Harris, Maggie Toennis, Alli Merritt

Iowa came out strong and remained connected to the leaders through the first 500 meters. UNC, Dartmouth, and UCF started to separate from the rest of the group in the middle meters. Iowa remained in reach of Dartmouth in the last 250 meters but ran out of room to close the gap.

Varsity Four
1 UCF (7:18.29)
2 UNC (7:21.79)
3 Kansas State (7:23.28)
4 Miami (7:28.50)
5 Dartmouth (7:30.73)
6 Iowa (7:35.09)
Iowa: Carissa Cochico (cox), Ava Satterfield, Haley Hayes, Evan Schwickerath, Laura Murphy

Iowa got out to an early lead, going up two seats on Alabama. Heading into the second half of the race, Iowa maintained its separation from Alabama. In the final 500 meters Alabama pushed and took a deck lead on the Hawkeyes to finish the race.

II Varsity Four
1 Alabama (7:54.96)
2 Iowa (7:58.27)
3 West Virginia (8:19.77)
4 High Point (8:53.25)
Iowa: Kimberly Marquez (cox), Issy Allen, Emma Tate, Ella Grove, Isabelle DeLong