University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Occoquan Chase
Rowing Starts Fall Racing On Strong Note
October 16, 2011 | Women's Rowing
Oct. 16, 2011
OCCOQUAN, Va. - A first-place finish by the varsity four and a second by the varsity eight highlighted the day as the North Carolina rowing team opened its fall season Sunday at the Occoquan Chase.
UNC opened the day racing in eights. After a brief break of about 90 minutes, most of the UNC rowers and coxswains were back in action in fours in the afternoon.
Rowing in the varsity eight for UNC were coxswain Allie Davis, Josephine Kooijman, Blair Meiggs, Jasmine Dennis, Ali Margherio, Chelsea Boorman, Maria Santoyo, Emily Leidolf and Claire Wardius. "The first 8+ had a solid race," said UNC varsity assistant coach Brie Tyler. "They had high expectations, and despite a second place finish out of 14 crews, are somewhat disappointed in the results. They were hoping to beat event rival George Mason, which finished first. I think this is good fuel for the practices leading up to our last race at the Head of the Hooch."
The second varsity eight was seventh in the same field. Racing in that boat were coxswain Carie Mastrianni, Sarah Giles, Amanda Truesdell, Lindsay Newman, Morgan Koder, Kathleen Reynolds, Blair Puleo, Emily Thompson and Shannon O'Neil. "A year ago, the second 8+ finished tenth at the Occoquan Chase, so it's good to see UNC moving in the right direction this year," Tyler said.
UNC raced a total of four boats in the varsity fours event. Carolina's fourth boat was last to start of 26 crews, but worked its way up to 14th, passing several rivals along the way. "It was coxswain,Elizabeth Ayers' first varsity race after spending last year on the novice team and she steered an outstanding course," Tyler said.
Carolina's third boat placed ninth overall in the event, just over a minute behind the first place Tar Heel boat.
UNC's second four finished fifth overall, beating all of the other "B" boats, as well as 10 "A" boats. Instead of medals, the Occoquan Chase awards "Champion of the Chase" t-shirts, and the second four earned that prize for coming in ahead of the other B boats.
The varsity four's win came in 18:01.35, just 1.62 seconds over George Mason in a field of 26. "That finish is proof that every stroke counts," said varsity assistant Brie Tyler. "The first 4+ had a fantastic race and I can't wait to see how their speed compares with the crews they will be competing against at the Head of the Hooch."
Racing in the fours for UNC were:
First: Coxswain Allie Davis, Chelsea Boorman, Blair Meiggs, Jasmine Dennis, Claire Wardius
Second: Coxswain Carie Mastrianni, Josephine Kooijman, Ali Margherio, Emily Leidolf and Maria Santoyo
Third: Coxswain Emma Shaw, Amanda Truesdell, Lindsay Newman, Morgan Koder, Sarah Giles
Fourth: Coxswain Elizabeth Ayers, Kathleen Reynolds, Abby Lantz, Blair Puleo, Emily Thompson
UNC's other race of the fall is the Head of the Chattahoochee regatta on Nov. 5-6 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Tyler, who is filling in for head coach Sarah Haney while Haney is out on maternity leave, was pleased with her team's performance on Sunday.
"Overall, I think the varsity team faced racing head-on this weekend," she said. "We have structured practice this year in a way that we hoped would help improve the team's mental toughness, especially in high pressure race situations. It is clear that this approach is working, because all crews approached today's races with a positive, competitive attitude.
"We have a young team this year and with the guidance of our senior leadership - Emma Shaw, Kathleen Reynolds, and Blair Meiggs - all athletes were able to stay composed and technically efficient on the race course despite tough competition. Furthermore, all boats, particularly the 4+s, pushed the other UNC boats to go faster, as they actually raced each other to the finish line. This kind of competitive drive is something we will need in the spring and it's great to see it so early in the year."
Players Mentioned
