University of Louisville
Oak Ridge Invitational
Women's Rowing Closes Regular Season at Oak Ridge Invitational
May 15, 2011 | Rowing
May 15, 2011
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - With all four of its boats advancing to grand finals, the University of Louisville rowing team earned a pair of fifth-place finishes and two sixth-place finishes on Sunday at the Oak Ridge Invitational on Melton Hill Lake.
"There was a lot of emotion and heart that went into this afternoon's races," said Louisville rowing head coach Laura Aubrey. "The results were not exactly what we were looking for, but we left it all out on the race course. Looking back on the year, we can say with 100-percent confidence that we controlled everything we could control. We took care of the little things and managed ourselves very well. I am proud of this team's effort and know we have learned a lot that we can take forward with us that will allow us to continue to grow as a team and a program."
In the final race of the day, the Cardinals earned a fifth-place finish in the Varsity Eight Grand Final with a time of 6:38.84, while No. 5 Virginia earned the win with a time of 6:26.00. No. 11 Clemson was second at 6:31.86, while Duke was third at 6:34.78 and No. 20 Notre Dame was fourth at 6:35.18. Oklahoma followed the Cardinals in sixth at 6:47.27.
"The varsity eight put in a good fight, but were simply not able to hold on to it in the end," said Aubrey. "Coming off the line, UVA took an early lead with Clemson, Notre Dame, Duke and Louisville all within three seats of one another. All boats were very aggressive and not showing any signs of backing down coming through the 750-meter mark. We were fighting coxswain to coxswain for the first 1,250 meters with Notre Dame and neither crew gave an inch.
"For the next 200 meters, we let Notre Dame get a few seats up on us. Pulling through the 500-meter mark, we started to reel them back in, but by that point, it was a bit too late. I know these girls poured their heart into this race and today it was simply not enough. For the seniors in the boat, they've had an incredible season and they will certainly be missed."
In Sunday's Varsity Four Grand Final, Louisville was fifth at 7:32.19, while Virginia led the way at 7:12.20. Notre Dame was second with a time of 7:22.52, while Clemson was third at 7:24.54, Duke was fourth at 7:31.02 and Tulsa was sixth at 7:38.39.
The Cardinals earned a sixth-place finish in the Second Varsity Eight Grand Final with a time of 6:53.80, while UVA took the victory at 6:39.30. Clemson was second at 6:42.36 and was followed by Notre Dame in third at 6:44.92, Rhode Island in fourth at 6:52.45 and Oklahoma in fifth at 6:53.55.
"The second varsity eight was hungry going in but had a hard time executing the plan," said Aubrey. "They rowed a bit tight and did not have the swing that I saw in the morning heats. It's a young boat and I know they will take what they learned from this race to make them better. I am happy for Kira, our one senior in this boat, for she had a great season and was part of a really strong 2V8."
Louisville also earned a sixth-place finish in the Open Four Grand Final after finishing with a time of 7:54.46, while UVA earned its fourth win with a final time of 7:25.30. Clemson finished second at 7:36.79, while Virginia's second boat was third at 7:38.65. Notre Dame's second boat finished fourth with a time of 7:38.65, the first boat for the Fighting Irish was fifth at 7:51.68.
In Sunday's preliminary action, the Cardinals earned two runner-up finishes and two third-place finishes. Louisville was second in Second Varsity Eight Heat A with a time of 6:57.33 and trailed only Virginia at 6:50.20. Oklahoma was third in the heat race with a time of 6:57.84. Louisville also finished second in Varsity Four Heat B with a time of 7:36.92, while Notre Dame led the way at 7:35.20. Clemson was third in the heat with a time of 7:39.17.
In Varsity Eight Heat B, Louisville finished third overall with a time of 6:41.80, while Clemson was first at 6:36.80 and Duke was second at 6:39.26. And in Open Four Heat A, the Cardinals were third with a final time of 7:48.38, while Virginia (7:32.80) and Notre Dame (7:45.30) took the top two spots.
Sunday's Oak Ridge Invitational was the final regular-season competition before the field for the 2011 NCAA Championships is announced on Tuesday (May 17) at 5 p.m., ET.
Louisville Rowing Lineups - May 1, 2011
Varsity Eight: Ali Woods (coxswain), Anastasia Prokopenko (stroke), Morgan Dunham, Lauren Mensch-Speelman, Kristin Falovo, Katya Monchenko, Cara Littleton, Sam Kayser and Erin Bennett.
Second Varsity Eight: Ellen Fawcett (coxswain), Sam Sinnet (stroke), Catherine Chivers, Amy Van Syoc, Shelby Stafford, Kathleen O'Connell, Lizzie Devries, Kira Lawson and Kelly O'Conor.
Varsity Four: Andee Zorn (coxswain), Brittney Knaszak (stroke), Chelsea Haack, Hannah Ritter and Mallorie Campbell.
Open Four: Amelia Motsch (coxswain), Elyse Kortier (stroke), Lauren Proctor-Brown, Alex Roberts and Kayla Kroninger.
Players Mentioned
