Cardinals Wrap Up Lake Wheeler Invitational

Saturday, April 27

Raleigh, N.C.

University of Louisville

Lake Wheeler Invitational

Photo by: Egan Berne | Louisville Rowing

April 27, 2024 | Rowing

By: Lori Harmon

RALEIGH, N.C. – The University of Louisville rowing team finished strong on the final day of the Lake Wheeler Invitational Saturday afternoon.

"This was a great regatta and the weather was exceptional," said UofL head coach Derek Copeland. "They seem to be getting better each race, and that hasn't been typical this time of year. We definitely have some work to do and look forward to getting back on the Ohio. We still think there is some speed to find in the V4 and the 3V8. We are optimistic that these younger athletes are going to grow a lot in these next few weeks. We beat or were closer to a few eights that have had our number in recent years. That is just the momentum we needed to help us keep the foot on the gas."

The varsity eight boat raced to a second-place showing in their heat with Izzy Hussey guiding Lexi Bernard, Claire Carver-Ritter, Evey Peplowski, Kaylie Leonard, Macy Whisenand, Madeline Giron, Payton Stinson and Isabella Ulloa to a time of 6:48.945, six seconds behind UCF and edging Tulsa (6:49.081).

"We had some great opportunities during close races to rely on our trust in one another as a boat in order to finish with our bow ball in front," said Whisenand. "The racing this weekend has given the team good momentum to focus on our competition for ACC's and unlock more speed in the coming weeks".

The second varsity eight also posted a runner-up finish in its final heat. Coxed by Mackenna Billington, Graycen West, Cierra Chavez, Taylor Fausey, Alaina Holder, Bradlie Hicks, Mary Noschang, Emma Bell and Gabrielle Zanoni finished at 6:53.938, four seconds back from UCF and ahead of Tulsa (6:55.894).

"As a boat we took time to set goals for this weekend. Each stroke we threw down everything we had and raced really gritty," said Noschang. "We made some exciting strides towards some of our goals for this season. From this we have gained some swagger. We are excited to get back home and stay hungry!"

The Cardinals finished 10^th in the two-day regatta with Tennessee winning the points title to take home the Pocock Lake Wheeler Invitational Cup.

The highly-competitive field featured 18 teams, five of which are ranked among the Pocock Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association top 20 including: No. 5 Tennessee, No. 10 Syracuse, No. 16 Duke, No. 11 Penn and No. 18 Washington State along with three teams receiving votes (Alabama, Miami and UCF). The regatta competitors also include fellow ACC teams: Boston College, Clemson and North Carolina.

"Our squad is taking huge strides culturally," said assistant coach Egan Berne. "Across the board there's more grit, more faith in the training, and commitment to representing the Cardinal on their chest with pride. If we can double down on those trends for the last few weeks, I think we'll surprise people at ACCs."

Pocock Cup – Lake Wheeler Invitational
Final points standings
Tennessee 99
Duke 84
UCF 75
Syracuse 65
Penn 62
Alabama 56
Iowa 32
Miami 28
Washington State 26
Louisville 17
Tulsa 13
Clemson 10
Navy 7
Kansas 5
Boston University 2
Georgetown 2
North Carolina 1
Boston College 1

Lake Wheeler Invitational Results Saturday, April 27
Varsity Eight (Heat 1)
1-UCF (6:43.481); 2 – Louisville (6:48.945); 3 – Tulsa (6:49.081); 4 – Boston College (6:51.433); Navy (6:52.817); 6 – Kansas (6:56.309)

Second Varsity Eight (Heat 1)
1 – UCF (6:49.558); 2 – Louisville (6:53.938); 3 – Tulsa (6:55.894); 4 – Navy (7:01.014); 5 – Kansas (7:01.894); 6 – Boston College (7:02.446)

Third Varsity Eight
1-Duke (7:06.835); 2- Kansas (7:15.715); 3- Boston College (7:17.775); 4 – Navy (7:21.089); 5 – North Carolina (7:26.675); 6 – Louisville (7:29.747)

Varsity Four (Heat 1)
1-UCF (7:29.152); 2 – Navy (7:40.582); 3 – Kansas (7:40.630); 4 – Tulsa (7:48.114); 5 – Boston College (7:55.778); 6 - Louisville (8:02.166)

Louisville Lineups – Lake Wheeler Invitational
Varsity Eight
Coxswain – Izzy Hussey
8-Lexi Bernard
7- Claire Carver-Ritter
6 – Evey Peplowski
5 – Kaylie Leonard
4 – Macy Whisenand
3 – Madeline Giron
2 – Payton Stinson
1 – Isabella Ulloa

Second Varsity Eight
Coxswain – Mackenna Billington
8-Graycen West
7- Cierra Chavez
6 - Taylor Fausey
5- Alaina Holder
4- Bradlie Hicks
3- Mary Noschang
2- Emma Bell
1- Gabrielle Zanoni

Third Varsity Eight
Coxswain - Leigh Hatton
8-Stella Scott
7- Ali Matthews
6- Margot Kaufman
5- Stella Mancini
4- Victoria Iorillo
3- Kate Eisenbeis
2- Carlie Pennington
1- Bria Ragauckas

Varsity Four
4- Daya Wilde
3- Haley Kunz
2- Neala Marshall
1-Grace Rodebaugh
Coxswain – Olivia Guarnaccia