Boston University
Patriot League Championship
Women's Rowing Wins Patriot League Championship on Friday
May 16, 2014 | Women's Rowing
May 16, 2014
Photo Gallery | PL Video Recap
Full Results | Coach Rippetoe Interview
WORCESTER, Mass. — Overcoming a five point deficit entering the final race of the day, the Boston University women’s rowing team won the Patriot League Championship in dramatic fashion on Friday. In the final race of the day, the Terriers’ varsity eight boat won the grand final as Navy, the point leader entering the race, finished a distant fourth allowing BU to claim the crown.
“Everyone performed to the best of their ability and that’s what had to happen,” said head women’s rowing coach Stacey Rippetoe. “There was no room for error and everybody did a great job.”
The varsity eight boat, coxed by senior Sarah Specht and stroked by junior Claire Richer, entered the final race of the championship needing a victory. Rowing into a headwind and light rain, the V8 delivered, winning the race with a time 7:14.58 to earn 27 points. Bucknell finished second with a time of 7:18.46 and MIT was third (7:19.61). Navy finished in fourth with a time of 7:21.84 and earned just 18 points. The nine-point difference allowed the Terriers to pull ahead and win the championship by four points (49-45).
Earlier in heat races, all three BU boats easily advanced to the grand finals. BU finished second in its V8 heat to Navy while the 2V8 and V4 won their heats.
In the finals, the V4, coxed by junior Eline Vermeulen and stroked by sophomore Jo MacCune, battled the wind and rain to finish 2nd to Navy by seven seconds and earn 8 points with MIT finishing 3rd.
The second varsity eight, coxed by freshman Marlaina Miller and stroked by classmate Kelli Wegner, finished 3rd in the grand final with a time of 7:43.22 to earn 14 points behind Navy (7:30.46) and Bucknell (7:34.82) to set the stage for the dramatic finish.
After the competition, Terriers’ head coach Stacey Rippetoe was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year and the Terriers' varsity eight boat was named Patriot League Boat of the Year.
The women’s rowing team will now head to Indianapolis to compete in the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year starting May 30.
Results
Final Patriot League Team Championship Standings
1 Boston University 49 points
2 Navy 45 points
3 Bucknell 43 points
4 MIT 38 points
5 Georgetown 33 points
6 Holy Cross 21 points
7 Lehigh 18 points
8 Colgate 17 points
9 Loyola (Md.) 6 points
Varsity Eight
Heat 1
1 Navy 7:27.254
2 Boston University 7:29.948
3 MIT 7:35.659
4 Colgate 7:39.389
5 Loyola (Md.) 8:45.855
Grand Final
1 Boston University 7:14.580
2 Bucknell 7:18.467
3 MIT 7:19.612
4 Navy 7:21.845
5 Georgetown 7:27.287
6 Holy Cross 7:29.489
Second Varsity Eight
Heat 1
1 Boston University 7:45.194
2 Georgetown 7:49.219
3 MIT 7:50.953
4 Colgate 7:57.892
5 Loyola (Md.) 9:08.500
Grand Final
1 Navy 7:30.468
2 Bucknell 7:34.821
3 Boston University 7:43.226
4 Georgetown 7:45.437
5 MIT 7:54.757
6 Lehigh 8:09.376
Varsity Four
Heat 2
1 Boston University 8:56.042
2 Georgetown 9:18.537
3 Lehigh 9:41.445
4 Colgate 10:03.27
Grand Final
1 Navy 8:23.310
2 Boston University 8:30.353
3 MIT 8:41.193
4 Georgetown 8:51.651
5 Holy Cross 9:03.684
6 Lehigh 9:19.948
LINEUPS
Varsity eight: Bow – Kelly Jackson, 2 – Alex Gustafson, 3 - Westanna Carleton, 4 – Lynn Ratte, 5 – Kerry Kennedy, 6 – Emily Lerhe, 7 – Mackenzie Wiler, Stroke – Claire Richer, Cox – Sarah Specht
Second varsity eight: Bow – Emily Huber, 2 – Beata Coloyan, 3 – Marisa Borchardt, 4 – Bridget Behmke, 5 – Yahna Harris, 6 – Sam Woo, 7 – Kerri Wegner, Stroke - Kelli Wegner, Cox – Marlaina Miller
Varsity Four: Bow – Dana Hiniker, 2 – Annalise Routenberg, 3 – Caroline Demko, 4 – Jo MacCune, Cox – Eline Vermeulen
