University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Head of the Hooch
Tar Heels Finish Fall Strong At Head of The Hooch
November 6, 2016 | Women's Rowing
The UNC novice eight won gold and the Tar Heels earned two other top-10 finishes Saturday in racing at the Head of the Hooch, Carolina's final rowing competition of the fall season. In addition to the win by the top novice boat and a ninth-place finish by UNC's “B” boat in the same event, UNC's varsity eight placed seventh in its race.
“The Tar Heels had a great day of racing in beautiful weather,” UNC coach Sarah Haney said. “We were excited to bring three varsity eights and two novice eights and then to race four varsity fours. Racing these nine boats allowed us to not only show our top-end speed, but also our depth as a program.”
A 5,000-meter head race on the Tennessee River, the Head of the Hooch is one of the world's largest regattas. It marked the Tar Heels' second competition in less than a week, following the Princeton Chase on Oct. 30. The Head of the Hooch is the finale for the fall season – UNC will compete next in March of 2017.
In the Women's Championship 8+, UNC's first varsity eight was seventh in 17:10.4, the second varsity eight was 12th in 17:19.1, and the third varsity eight was 18th in 17:44.4. For full results, click here.
“Our varsity 8+ had a strong performance against some top speed and held their rank from last year even with the addition of Louisville,” Haney said. “Our second varsity 8+ raced a strong race and did very well against the other second varsity 8+ boats. Our third varsity 8+ showed our depth on the varsity side. I am proud of all three boats in how they raced this weekend.”
In the Women's College and Club Novice 8+ race, UNC finished first in 17:46.4, and 9th in 19:23.6. Full results are here.
“It's exciting to end the fall on a high note and head into winter training with such positive momentum,” UNC novice coach Anthony Brock said. “We are going to work on getting the novice team ready for spring and are looking forward to getting back in the water in January.”
UNC regrouped the varsity eights to compete in the Championship 4+ race later in the day on Saturday. Tar Heel boats took 14th (18:46.8), 18th (19:09.3), 19th (19:15.0) and 24th (19:34.3). For full results, click here.
“We had a very productive fall season and I am very proud of the work the team has put in this fall,” Haney said. “I feel good about the progress we have made so far this season. We are looking forward to our winter training season that will begin next week as we look toward the spring season.”
UNC Lineups:
Varsity Eight: Bethany Brake (Coxswain), Stephanie Wangerin, Ellen Minaudo, Kelly Williams, Caeli Harr, Margaret High, Kathryn Johnson, Egan Berne, Maria Marroquin
Second Varsity Eight: Maggie Lusk (Coxswain), Bryn Melanson, Caitlin Beakes, Mallory Young, Morgan Donnelly, Alex Davis, Madelyn Krebs, Devin Finney, Allie Martin
Third Varsity Eight: Adelaide Cooke (Coxswain), Cox: Adelaide Cooke, Laura Naylor, Alexis Amato, Mackenzie Drake, Maddie Omeltchenko, Sara Zetterberg, Paige Colpo, Mandi Biondi, Emma Gilbert
Novice Eight: Sophia Perkins (coxswain), Alexandra Barry, Abby Hudspeth, Caleigh Sewell, Bridget Tarnowski, Katie Bell, Alex Lutton, Melanie Hussey, Sally Stanley
Second Novice Eight: Sofia Triana (coxswain), Olivia Corriere, Zoe Strafford-Price, Katie Pondiscio, Mary Margaret Wright, Julianne Peters, Erica Hoff, Marissa Copeland, Lydia Silver
Varsity Four A: Maggie Lusk (coxswain), Kelly Williams, Kathryn Johnson, Egan Berne, Maria Marroquin
Varsity Four B: Bethany Brake (coxswain), Ellen Minaudo, Stephanie Wangerin, Caeli Harr, Margaret High
Varsity Four C: Adelaide Cooke (coxswain), Bryn Melanson, Morgan Donnelly, Alex Davis, Allie Martin
Varsity Four D: Samantha Hoelzer (coxswain), Emma Gilbert, Mandi Biondi, Paige Colpo, Laura Naylor
Players Mentioned
