Hawkeyes Upset No. 24 USC on Day One of Rocky Top Invite

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The University of Iowa rowing team finished day one at the Rocky Top Invite on Melton Hill Lake. The highest finishes of the day came from the 1V8 and 1V4 both placing third and beating conference opponents No. 24 USC and Minnesota.

The Hawkeyes competed in the 1V8, 2V8, 3V8, 1V4 and 2V4 in heats of 2000-meter sprints. The field consisted of No. 5 Tennessee, No. 14 Penn, No. 15 Duke, No. 17 Alabama, No. 24 USC, No. 25 UCLA, Clemson and Minnesota.

The Hawkeyes return to action Saturday morning at 7:00 a.m. (CT) for two rounds of racing, the semi-finals and finals.

FINISHES
Tennessee took an early lead over the field while Iowa stayed connected to the pack through the first 500-meters. In the middle meters, Alabama took an open water lead over Minnesota and Iowa trailed the rest of the field. The Hawkeyes surged in the final 500-meters overtaking USC at the 1500-meter mark and edging out Minnesota at the finish line.

Varsity Eight
1 Tennessee (6:18.41)
2 Alabama (6:28.45)
3 Iowa (6:36.25)
4 Minnesota (6:36.93)
5 USC (6:40.85)
Iowa: Carissa Cochico (cox), Katie Proudlove, Ella Grove, Sophia Foreman, Beatrix Hearn, Leah Nawrot, Andy Mills, Scarlett Maleham, Mia Lawrence

The Hawkeyes stayed connected to the field through the first 500-meters. USC, Minnesota and Iowa were all close heading into the final half of the race. USC found a lead in the final 500-meters and Iowa ran out of water before they were able to overtake Minnesota.

II Varsity Eight
1 Tennessee (6:31.34)
2 Alabama (6:36.25)
3 USC (6:44.49)
4 Minnesota (6:49.51)
5 Iowa (6:50.38)
Iowa: Taylor Arbuckle (cox), Lauren Bengtson, Catherine Finerty, Haley Hayes, Olivia Smothers, Evan Schwickerath, Isabelle DeLong, Meghan Harris, Emma Rayner

Through the first 500-meters, the field stayed together with little separation. Tennessee found an open water lead in the back half of the race while the rest of the field stayed together. The Hawkeyes threatened until the very end, racing to a photo finish ending with Alabama.

Varsity Four
1 Tennessee (7:16.38)
2 Alabama (7:29.17)
3 Iowa (7:29.67)
4 Minnesota (7:30.87)
5 USC (7:40.06)
Iowa: Kimberly Marquez (cox), Annabel Rayner, Soph Pepper, Chloe Fortin, Kendall Doerr

The Hawkeyes stayed connected to the field through the first 500-meters. Iowa lost connection with the field during the middles meters and were unable to execute a final push to catch the pack.

II Varsity Four
1 UCLA (7:29.15)
2 Duke (7:33.41)
3 Penn (7:34.74)
4 Iowa (7:48.63)
Iowa: Madeline Reid (cox), Emma Tate, Karire Evans, Madison Jones, Laura Murphy

The Hawkeyes battled with UCLA throughout the race staying connected with the Bruins through 1500-meters. Tennessee took and held an early lead with the Hawkeyes unable to mount a comeback to overtake the Bruins in the final meters.

III Varsity Eight
1 Tennessee (6:37.45)
2 UCLA (6:59.72)
3 Iowa (7:02.03)
Iowa: Jordyn Gassmann (cox), Cait Quinn, Mikaela Mwangong, Ellie Stopak, Jadyn Pankow, Ryleigh McFarland, Maddy Stutler, Lena Jones, Milly Short

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH JEFF GARBUTT
“I want to give a huge shoutout to the whole team for rising to the occasion and performing with resiliency. We go into every race with the mindset of improving and getting a little bit faster each week. We are going to continue to build off the successes and hard work our athletes have shown these past two weeks to continue to build confidence on the water.”