RALEIGH, N.C. – The Boston University women's rowing program shined against some of the east coast's standout crews at the Lake Wheeler Invite from April 25-26 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
 
BU was one of 18 schools at the regatta and sent out four crews. Though overcast conditions were present throughout the weekend, the Terriers enjoyed warmer weather and calm waters.
 
Overall, the Terriers generated 48 team points in the two days, the sixth-most in the field. The Terriers only trailed points leader Virginia, Duke, Columbia, Clemson and North Carolina.
 
BU's Second Varsity 4+ started off each session. On Friday, the Terriers, coxed by Molly Bernardo and stroked by Sonya Carson, handily won the third heat and posted the fifth-fastest 2V4 time in 7:38.109. In the afternoon, BU improved with a time of 7:31.884, trailing North Carolina and Virginia and ahead of the Washington State, Miami and Kansas boats. Sunday's crew nearly picked off Virginia in the third heat, trailing the runner-up Cavaliers by under a second with a time of 7:27.737, its top time in the regatta.
 
The Terrier Varsity 4+ also picked up a first-round victory. BU, coxed by Kennedy Walker and stroked by Lilly McSweeney, built an open water lead of over a length and crossed in 7:33.168. The second round saw BU cross the line with a time of 7:34.005, the seventh-fastest out of 18 boats in the session and third in the heat. Sunday's finale saw a tight battle with Duke and Gonzaga, and BU narrowly earned fourth in the third round in 7:29.569, just 0.122 seconds behind the Bulldogs in third.
 
The Second Varsity 8+, coxed by Valeria Lizarraga Ramirez and stroked by Nina Palmer, battled Louisville in a tight first round, but came out on top of the third heat in 6:42.040, the fourth-quickest 2V8 time in the morning. The afternoon saw a tight battle with BU, North Carolina and Washington State for second in the second heat. UNC prevailed, and the Terriers captured third with a photo finish over the Cougars in 6:43.341 in just a 0.16-second difference. The crew closed out the regatta with its best time of the weekend, a 6:41.961 result that trailed only Virginia and Duke in the third round.
 
BU's Varsity 8+, coxed by Audrey Lucerne and stroked by Sotiria Angou, built its lead halfway through the course and maintained it for a first-place result of 6:35.564, over three seconds ahead of runner-up Tulsa. Later that day, the crew also locked into a duel with Washington State. This time, the Huskies narrowly finished ahead as BU settled into third in 6:37.231, the fifth-quickest time in the 18-boat field that session. On Sunday, the Terriers posted their top time of the weekend in 6:28.481, beating out Gonzaga while finishing only a few seats behind second-place Duke.
 
Back in Boston on Saturday, April 26, the Terriers sent out two crews to race against Harvard-Radcliffe and Yale. BU's Third Varsity 8+, coxed by Maya Wiisanen and stroked by Anna Woodside, finished third in 7:53 flat. The Third Varsity 4+, coxed by Laura Leong and stroked by Ally Phillips, was fourth with a time of 8:55.8 after competing with Yale's 2V4 and 3V4 as well as Radcliffe's 2V4.
 
The Terriers now set their sights on the Eastern Sprints, which take place at Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass. on Sunday, May 4.
 
LAKE WHEELER RESULTS

Second Varsity 4+
Round 1, Heat 3 – April 25 Morning Session
1. BU – 7:38.109
2. Georgetown – 7:47.253
3. Boston College – 7:58.795
4. Louisville – 8:03.477
5. Tulsa – 8:10.071

Round 2, Heat 2 – April 25 Afternoon Session
1. North Carolina – 7:22.016
2. Virginia 7:26.672
3. BU 7:31.884
4. Washington State 7:40.132
5. Miami 7:40.508
6. Kansas 7:57.586

Round 3, Heat 3 – April 26
1. Duke – 7:22.523
2. Virginia – 7:26.881
3. BU – 7:27.737
4. Gonzaga – 7:49.669

Varsity 4+
Round 1, Heat 3 – April 25 Morning Session
1. BU – 7:33.168
2. Georgetown – 7:39.068
3. Boston College – 7:42.324
4. Louisville – 7:43.716
5. Tulsa – 7:45.676
6. Rhode Island – 7:46.456

Round 2, Heat 2 – April 25 Afternoon Session
1. Virginia – 7:23.673
2. UNC – 7:28.391
3. BU – 7:34.005
4. Washington State – 7:35.553
5. Miami – 7:37.151
6. Kansas – 7:45.679

Round 3, Heat 3 – April 26
1. Virginia – 7:20.019
2. Duke – 7:25.307
3. Gonzaga – 7:29.477
4. BU – 7:29.569
5. Rhode Island – 7:50.329
6. Villanova – 8:29.871

Second Varsity 8+
Round 1, Heat 3 – April 25 Morning Session
1. BU – 6:42.040
2. Louisville – 6:44.620
3. Tulsa – 6:50.020
4. Georgetown – 6:50.976
5. Boston College – 6:51.642
6. Rhode Island – 6:54.280

Round 2, Heat 2 – April 25 Afternoon Session
1. Virginia – 6:37.351
2. UNC – 6:41.607
3. BU – 6:43.341
4. Washington State – 6:43.501
5. Miami – 6:49.605
6. Kansas – 6:53.001

Round 3, Heat 3 – April 26
1. Virginia – 6:30.957
2. Duke – 6:33.423
3. BU – 6:41.961
4. Gonzaga – 6:51.779
5. Villanova – 6:54.157
6. Rhode Island – 7:00.609

Varsity 8+
Round 1, Heat 3 – April 25 Morning Session
1. BU – 6:35.564
2. Tulsa – 6:38.754
3. Louisville – 6:40.558
4. Rhode Island – 6:45.532
5. Boston College – 6:48.896
6. Georgetown – 6:51.008

Round 2, Heat 2 – April 25 Afternoon Session
1. Virginia – 6:27.027
2. Washington State – 6:36.039
3. BU – 6:37.231
4. North Carolina – 6:40.293
5. Miami – 6:45.875
6. Kansas – 6:56.733

Round 3, Heat 3 – April 26
1. Virginia – 6:18.619
2. Duke – 6:27.131
3. BU – 6:28.481
4. Gonzaga – 6:30.431
5. Rhode Island – 6:40.139
6. Villanova – 6:42.493

CHARLES RIVER RESULTS – VS. HARVARD-RADCLIFFE & YALE
Third Varsity 8+
1. Yale – 7:16.3
2. Harvard-Radcliffe – 7:27.5
3. BU – 7:53.0

Third Varsity 4+
1. Yale 2V4 – 7:52.1
2. Harvard-Radcliffe 2V4 – 8:02.1
3. Yale 3V4 – 8:25.2
4. BU 3V4 – 8:55.8

LAKE WHEELER TEAM STANDINGS – TOP 10

1. Virginia – 94 points
2. Duke – 82
3. Columbia – 73
4. Clemson – 67
5. North Carolina – 61
6. BU – 48
7. Tulsa – 31
8. Washington State – 25
9. Gonzaga – 22
10. Georgetown – 22

LAKE WHEELER LINEUPS
Second Varsity 4+
Cox: Molly Bernardo
Bow: Sophia Williams
2: Julia Andrist
3: Elisabeth Arnason
Stroke: Sonya Carson
 
Varsity 4+
Cox: Kennedy Walker
Bow: Maeve Keohane
2: Sally Thoden
3: Ada Giraldo
Stroke: Lilly McSweeney
 
Second Varsity 8+
Bow: Luisa Reussner
2: Aryn Bailey
3: Viktoria Zruttová
4: Camilla Silvestri
5: Mariana Forehand
6: Tatum Swanwick
7: Kate Barham
Stroke: Nina Palmer
Cox: Valeria Lizarraga Ramirez
 
Varsity 8+
Bow: Sarah Stacey
2: Raylynn Boston
3: Olivia Bencze
4: Gigi Williams
5: Kat Robbins
6: Lydia Pelton
7: Ingrid Eshuis
Stroke: Sotiria Angou
Cox: Audrey Lucerne

CHARLES RIVER LINEUPS
Third Varsity 8+
Bow: Cece Engel
2: Caelan Harrington
3: Abby Berg
4: Julia Kraski
5: Katie Chambers
6: Melanie Helfenstein
7: Elsa Marino
Stroke: Anna Woodside
Cox: Maya Wiisanen
 
Third Varsity 4+
Cox: Laura Leong
Bow: Mary Cummings
2: Estella Woodside
3: Lucy Schwartz
Stroke: Ally Phillips