University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Knecht Cup
Tar Heel Rowing Races At Knecht Cup
April 13, 2002 | Women's Rowing
April 13, 2002
CAMDEN, N.J.--The second varsity eight and novice four led the way for the University of North Carolina rowing team Saturday at the Knecht Cup.
Hosted by Villanova on the Cooper River, racing stretched throughout the day for those crews able to advance into the afternoon finals. For the Tar Heels, that mean the second varsity eight and the novice four, both of which performed well enough in their heats to make the finals. The novice four won its heat and the second varsity eight finished second but advanced by virtue of having one of the next three fastest times. Both boats finished fifth in the grand finals.
Early in the second varsity eight heat, UNC fell behind Kansas but pulled ahead of the rest of the field. The Tar Heels fought hard and maintained their second-place position throughout the race. In the finals, UNC fell behind early, but worked back to as high as third during the course of the race. "The second varsity had two very gutsy performances," UNC coach Joel Furtek said. "They did end up being outpowered in their final race, but they were very gutsy to come back and really go after it. I'm really proud of the way they raced and stayed in it, a very mature race."
Racing in the second varsity eight were coxswain Staci Shaut, Allison Wheaton, Amy Scheffel, Lauren Tarabokia, Mollie Silver, Emily Mills, Jess Ziebell, Holly Spain and Lindsay Pichaske.
Both the novice eight and the varsity four (manned by novice rowers) fell victim to boat-stopping crabs, in which an oar turns sideways and brings the boat to a halt. Neither boat advanced to the finals. "They were racing hard and being aggressive and taking a chance and that's what happens sometimes," Furtek said. The varsity eight also failed to advance to the event's final.
All the UNC crews return to action Sunday morning on the Cooper River for the Villanova Invitational. Racing will take place between 8 and 11 a.m.
