AUSTIN, Texas --- The No. 8 University of Iowa rowing team competed in the Longhorn Invitational on Saturday at Decker Lake in Austin, Texas.
HOW IT HAPPENED
I Varsity Eight: The I Varsity Eight advanced to the A-Final by cruising to comfortable second-place finish in the morning heat. They joined No. 3 Texas, No. 9 Virginia and Oregon State at the start for the premier event in the I Varsity division. In the final, the Hawkeyes got off to a good start, holding level with Texas and Virginia as they crossed the 250-meter mark. The Longhorns began to assert themselves just before the 500-meter mark and, with the Hawkeyes giving chase, the two crews slowly began to separate themselves from Virginia and Oregon State. As the two frontrunners entered the final 250 meters, Texas held a one-boat-length advantage and ultimately crossed the line in front, with the Hawkeyes finishing in the runner-up position ahead of Virginia and Oregon State.
II Varsity Eight: The II Varsity Eight also cruised to a comfortable second-place finish in their morning heat to advance to the A-level final. As the final unfolded, Virginia set the pace, with Texas in strong pursuit. The Hawkeyes struggled to keep pace and found themselves third at the finish, besting Oregon State but falling to winner, No. 9 Virginia and No. 3 Texas.
I Varsity Four: The I Varsity Four launched with a new lineup for the Longhorn invite. The untested crew found their legs in the heats, adding to the team’s point tally in the morning and also advancing to their A-level Final. The Hawkeyes held pace early in the final, but Virginia and Texas began to pull away in the later stages of the first 500 meters. The Hawkeyes established themselves solidly in third position, stretching their lead over Oregon State, but were unable to keep with the pace of the frontrunners. At the finish, it was No. 9 Virginia and No. 3 Texas over the line in that order with Iowa ahead of Oregon State in third position.
II Varsity Four: The II Varsity Four faced Virginia, Texas, and Alabama in the morning heat. The Hawkeyes defeated the Tide by more than seven seconds to secure a spot in the A-Final, where they joined Virginia, Texas, and No. 18 Oklahoma, who also advanced through the heats. The field sorted itself early in the final with the Hawkeyes settling into fourth position, which they held all the way to the finish.
I Novice Eight: The I Novice Eight crew raced against Texas, Alabama, and Miami in the morning heat. The Hawkeyes finished more than 12 seconds ahead of Alabama and 47 seconds ahead of Miami to claim the second spot and move on to the A-Final. In the afternoon, Iowa faced off against the Longhorns’ third varsity eight and first novice eight crews, along with the Sooners’ third varsity eight crew. The Hawkeyes finished fourth.
HEAR FROM COACH CARTER
“Today was another pretty good day of racing for our team. We had some adversity in a couple of events, but I think our crews dealt with that pretty well. Our II Varsity Eight crew struggled a bit in their final but never even thought of packing it in. It may not have been their best race, but they kept at it.
The I Varsity Eight crew played it pretty smart in the heat and didn’t get bogged down too much in fighting it out for the win. They got into it a bit more in the final and showed more of the speed they’re capable of. Texas is clearly a really solid crew, so we’ll need to find a bit more if we have an opportunity to race them again this year.
The I Varsity Four boat was a new look for us and I think they showed some promise as a lineup. Again, some adversity in there but they took a good swing at it today. I expect we’ll see even better from them in the coming days.
The Novice and II Varsity Four crews are gaining speed. With two weeks remaining before the Big Ten Championship, we’ll all be working to have that continue. The Big Ten Conference is as deep as ever, and our best will be needed in Indy.”
LINEUPS
I Varsity Eight: Ashley Duda, Izzy Dolba, Kaelynn Heiberg, Hannah Greenlee, Hunter Koenigsfeld, Contessa Harold, Katie Pearson, Eve Stewart, Logan Jones (coxswain)
II Varsity Eight: Claire Rutherford, Kasia Gniatczyk, Ashlynn Bauer, Megan Sprengeler, Baillie McCunn, Paige Schlapkohl, Zora Marinkovich, Rachel Canon, Faith Wieland (coxswain)
I Varsity Four: Danielle Bender, Amelia Koehn, Kayla Jensen, Gemma Kerr, Laura Justis (coxswain)
II Varsity Four: Carly Millerd, Paige Przybylski, Alysson Wittmeyer, Allison Blevins, Lisa Morales (coxswain)
I Novice Eight: Eva Scheibe, Megan Willey, Nathalia Wellenreiter, Katie Rygh, Izzy Bowman, Amalie Millerd, Tessa Walsh, Elena Waiglein, Katherine Becker (coxswain)
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes travel to Indianapolis to compete at the Big Ten Championships on May 13.