No. 4 Georgetown upsets No. 3 Wisconsin in Women’s Lightweight Crew
MAY 1, 2004
WASHINGTON, DC- The lightweight women find themselves in an unprecedented position going into EAWRC Sprints next week at Camden, NJ. In a home duel on the Potomac, the no. 4 ranked Hoyas defeated the no. 3 ranked Badgers for the first time.
Four races were contested: the varsity 8, varsity 4, novice 8, and novice 4. Wisconsin won three of them, but in the marquee event, the Hoyas' varsity 8 beat Wisconsin by 0.6 seconds, 6:28.9 to 6:29.5.
The boats were dead even coming down the racecourse and it was impossible to tell who would take the win until the final strokes of the sprint. Bow to stern the varsity eight comprised of: Caitlin McKenna, Bobbi Thomason, Jane Hendrick, Jennifer Stokes, Emily Dempsey, Jessica Barker, Alli Dryer, Nicole Borsje, and coxswain Amber Carrier. Said McKenna, “it wasn’t our best technical race but we are looking forward to cleaning things up and being even more competitive at Sprints.”
The results of this weekend promise an exciting showdown next Sunday. Defending national champions and then-no.1 Princeton were defeated by no. 2 Radcliffe (now no.1) last weekend for the first time in over a year. No team is clearly favored to win at Sprints, and after two weekends of upsets, there is no telling who will come away with the championship.
The varsity 4 also finds itself in an exciting position going into next weekend. The Hoyas were defeated 7:25.2 to 7:34.5, rowing in a new lineup that included two novices; from bow: Danielle Bush, Kelley Wittbold, Marcy Hupp, Kristen Hollar, and coxswain Erica Marerro. Although this weekend was in large part a learning experience, the 4 has had a strong season, with second place finishes at Knecht Cup and the Big East Championships.
The novice 8 had previously beaten Wisconsin at the Knecht Cup, but were
unable to repeat that result. Wisconsin topped the Hoyas 6:56.5 to 7:02.5.
The Badgers were also victorious in the novice 4. Nonetheless, the novice
boats got valuable racing experience against one of their top rivals,
which they will look to improve on as they prepare for Sprints.
