Tar Heels Turn In Second Strong Day On Cooper River

Sunday, March 24

Cherry Hill, N.J.

8:00 AM

North Carolina

Cooper River Sprints

UNC's 2V8 (shown at the Carolina Cup) put in its best race of the spring Sunday at the Cooper River Sprints.

Photo by: Dawson Powers

March 24, 2019 | Women's Rowing

Cooper River Sprints Results

By: UNC Athletic Communications

The North Carolina rowing team wrapped up a busy weekend Sunday with a second-straight day of racing on the Cooper River. The Tar Heels won four medals at the Murphy Cup on Saturday, then turned their attention to the Cooper River Sprints on Sunday, again forging a successful day.

"This weekend was a true testament to our team's positive mentality as well and their perseverance," UNC coach Sarah Haney said. "Not only did we have the fatigue from the races yesterday, but also from being outside in the high winds all day. It was impressive to see our team go out there today and give everything they have and to be competitive doing it.

"We knew we had an opportunity this weekend to race against some talented teams and we were excited about lining up against them. I think across the board we handled the weekend well and answered the call."

UNC and Drexel were the only teams that raced in both events, which were in the same location but were not affiliated.

For full results, click here.

The Carolina varsity eight opened the morning racing in the first heat of the first event. The Tar Heels placed third in 6:57.81, which put them in the petite final. UNC took second in that final in 6:43.92, behind only Oklahoma. "Our V8+ didn't race as well in the heat this morning as we normally do so we were proud of how they came back into their own for the final this afternoon," Haney said.

UNC's varsity eight lineup was Madeline Lavin (coxswain), Maria Marroquin, Kelly Williams, Bridget Tarnowski, Lauren Ferner, Katie Bell, Paige Colpo, Julianne Peters and Sally Stanley.

The second varsity eight also was third in its heat, crossing in 7:04.68. The Tar Heels went on to win the petite final in 6:54.12. "Our 2V8+ had a decent race this morning, but was able to come back and have their best race to date in the final," Haney said.

The second varsity eight lineup was Ashley Lim (coxswain), Sara Zetterberg, Elizabeth Farley, Alex Davis, Alessandra De Vito, Amanda Perez, Margaret High, Abby Hudspeth and Caleigh Sewell.

The varsity four was third in its heat at 7:36.25 and advanced to the grand final based on time. The Tar Heels were third in the grand final in 7:32.35, behind Rutgers and Duke. "The 1V4 wanted to get a chance to win yesterday and when that chance was taken away – due to wind causing the finals to be canceled – we immediately shifted our focus to today," Haney said. "We finished third with a better race in the final than the heat, we've identified a few areas we can improve, and we will be working hard over the next three weeks to keep improving."

The varsity four lineup was Sofia Triana (coxswain), Melanie Hussey, Liz Finnessy, Katie McMahon and Elizabeth Mitchell.

The third varsity eight placed fourth in its heat in 7:22.53 then won the petite final in a time of 7:2.92, ahead of Clemson, Rutgers and Kansas. "Today was great opportunity for them to continue to develop a better race mentality," Haney said. "They are a young crew and it was good to see them gain significant race experience."

The lineup for UNC's 3V8 was Sophia Perkins (coxswain), Olivia Curran, Sarah Velarde, Kate Pierce, Mackenzie Drake, Caroline Young, Hattie Doherty, Ashton Brown and Amelia Locklear.

The second varsity four was second in its heat in 8:17.41 to earn a spot in the grand final, where the Tar Heels placed fifth in a time of 8:28.83. "This was really our first official race in his lineup and we still need more water time to find that boat chemistry," Haney said. "But to come up here and handle these conditions the way they did was impressive. I am happy with how they rowed this weekend and look forward to the next three weeks.

The lineup was Lara King (coxswain), Zoe Rose, Lindsay Miller, Lydia Thompson and Hannah Fisher.

Next up for the Tar Heels is the Knecht Cup on April 13 in Princeton, N.J.