Strong Weekend for Lightweight Women at Knecht Cup
April 17, 2004
CAMDEN, NJ – The lightweight women showed promise and depth in a weekend of hard racing at the Knecht Cup. The Hoyas faced top lightweight crews from across the nation in a preview of postseason competition. Both novice and varsity squads raced a four and an eight, with the eights doubling in the heavyweight and lightweight events.
The novice crew consisting of: B Claire Gerarden, Mandy Cavanaugh, Dana
Goldman, Carolyn Brennan, Lauren Moldawer, Molly Conlon, Caitlin Kelly,
Amanda Pearson, and coxswain Emilie Pradera, placed second to Princeton
in the Novice Lightweight Eight event, defeating Wisconsin, Radcliffe,
and Stanford. Said Pearson, “We were excited to be competitive with
those crews; we really picked it up during the sprint and made the most
of our opportunities.” Coach Rebecca Besant agreed that it was an
encouraging performance: “it was a great chance to build rowers’
confidence, but also serve as a reminder of the work still needed to achieve
their goals for the season.”
The novices also entered in the Varsity Lightweight Four and Novice Heavyweight
Eight, but did not advance from the heats. Nonetheless, they gained valuable
racing experience, which was the primary goal of the weekend.
On the varsity side, B Danielle Bush, Jennifer Stokes, Lauren Smeeding,
Kristen Hollar, and coxswain Erica Marerro posted a runner-up finish in
the Varsity Lightweight Four event. The Hoyas were second to Wisconsin,
defeating Radcliffe and Princeton. “In the last 250m we pulled it
together to beat Radcliffe, who were beginning to gain ground,”
said Smeeding, pleased with their composure. The success of the four is
a tribute to the depth of the squad.
The varsity eight of B Caitlin McKenna, Bobbi Thomason, Jane Hendrick,
Michael Anne Kyle, Emily Dempsey, Jessica Barker, Alli Dryer, Nicole Borsje,
and coxswain Amber Carrier, entered in both lightweight and heavyweight
categories, completed a grueling, five race schedule.
In the Heavyweight event, the Hoyas won their heat with the third fastest
time of the morning, but did not fare as well in the semis, qualifying
for the Petite Final. All six boats were a factor in this tight race,
and the Hoya Lights finished fourth.
In the Grand Final of the Lightweight eight, the varsity had another fourth
place finish. “We were leading Radcliffe and Wisconsin through the
1000m mark, and although we fell back, it was our fourth race of the weekend,”
said Borsje. The crews finished in order of the current national rankings,
with Princeton taking the win, followed by #2 Radcliffe, #3 Wisconsin,
and #4 Georgetown. Fifth-ranked Stanford was upset by #10 URI. The Hoyas
have yet to see the results that they would like, but they gained valuable
experience both physically and mentally, which they are confident will
pay off later in the season. Coming out of the weekend, both varsity boats
feel better prepared for Eastern Sprints and the IRA National Championships.
Varsity coach Jimmy King and novice coaches Besant and Kara Ethier were
also optimistic at the conclusion of the regatta. Although both squads
have a lot of progress to make, they have demonstrated room for improvement
and are in an exciting position moving into the latter half of the season.
