The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA Championship
No. 11 Rowing sends varsity eight to grand final at NCAA Championships
05.30.2015 | Rowing
UT’s varsity eight makes history, becomes first Texas boat to reach a grand final at the NCAA Championships.
*Check updated race schedule for new start times. Texas races at 8:00, 8:24 and 9 a.m. Pacific time on Sunday
Complete Results (with splits)
Updated Sunday Race Schedule
GOLD RIVER, Calif. – Texas' varsity eight boat made history Saturday morning at the NCAA Championships and became the first Longhorns boat to advance to a grand final at a national championship regatta.
The Longhorns, who also placed their second varsity eight and their four in Sunday's petite finals, will score their first team points at an NCAA Championship regatta in the program's 19-year history. Texas qualified its varsity eight boat for individual competition at the 2003 and 2004 NCAA Championships but had not been invited to compete as a team at the national championships until May 19, when the NCAA awarded UT its first team bid upon winning the Big 12 Championship.
"The semifinals at the NCAA Championships are always really stressful and have some terrific racing, and that was certainly the case today," said UT head coach Dave O'Neill. "This weekend has been the focus for the team the entire year, and it's exciting to be doing well at this time."
Texas qualified all three boats for Saturday's A-B semifinals during Friday's opening session of racing. The A-B semifinal format called for the top-three finishers in each semifinal to advance to Sunday's grand finals (championship finals) with the bottom-three teams slotted for Sunday's petite finals (consolation finals).
Texas held fourth just behind Michigan through the opening 1,000 meters of the varsity eight (I Eight) A-B semifinal, where California and Virginia assumed the lead. The Longhorns pulled nearly even with the Wolverines at 1500m and passed Michigan shortly thereafter.
Texas pulled away from Michigan and placed third at 6:34.356, an historic finish that charted new territory for the Longhorns' rowing program into a grand final. California won the A-B semifinal heat in 6:27.366 while Virginia placed second at 6:29.464. Texas joins Ohio State, California, Stanford, Virginia and Washington in Sunday's grand final at 9 a.m. Pacific/11 a.m. CT)
"Our first eight had a terrific race as they did exactly what we'd talked about doing," O'Neill said. "They're racing with a ton of composure and don't look like a crew racing here for the first time. I'm really impressed with all of them."
Texas sat in fifth through the opening 1000m of the second varsity eight (II Eight) A-B semifinal where it narrowly trailed Wisconsin and held a slight lead on Michigan. The Longhorns continued to hold off Michigan and ultimately opened slight leads on both Michigan and Wisconsin for fourth place by the 1500m mark.
Ohio State, Washington and California emerged from the rest of the pack to claim the top-three spots and the three entries to Sunday's grand final, but Texas held on for fourth and crossed the finish at 6:41.984. Michigan finished a fraction of a second behind at 6:42.182 while Wisconsin settled for sixth at 6:42.724. The Texas II eight will join Stanford, Michigan, Virginia, Wisconsin and Indiana in Sunday's petite final at 8:24 a.m. Pacific/10:24 a.m. Central.
"The second eight had a good race although they needed a great race to get into the A (grand) final," O'Neill said. "They'll be ready for a big effort tomorrow in order to end the year on a great note."
The Texas four boat went bow-to-bow with Stanford throughout the four A-B semifinal with Virginia, Brown, Washington and Washington State challenging for the top three places. Texas held fifth place ahead of Stanford at the 1,000m and 1,500m marks before the Cardinal edged past the Longhorns. Texas took sixth in its A-B semifinal at 7:38.642. Virginia, Brown and Washington took the top-three spots into the grand final with the Cavaliers winning at 7:21.652.
"The four did a good job although they know they can be faster," O'Neill concluded. "That crew has done some great things this year, and they have a big effort in them for tomorrow."
The Texas 4+ will join Washington State, California, Stanford, Michigan and Notre Dame in Sunday's petite final at 8 a.m. Pacific/10 a.m. Central.
NCAA Championships – Day 2 Results
(A-B semifinals, top-3 advance to Sunday grand final, bottom-3 to petite final)
I Eight
1 California, 6:27.366
2 Virginia, 6:29.464
3 TEXAS, 6:34.356
Texas Crew: Katie Betsill (coxswain), Katie Trovato, April Brown, Gia Doonan, Pippa Loveard, Nadja Hyson, Emily Froehlich, Kim Gorcyca, Casey Redman
4 Michigan, 6:37.173
5 Washington State, 6:41.679
6 Indiana, 6:43.762
II Eight
1 Ohio State, 6:32.249
2 Washington, 6:34.234
3 California, 6:38.734
4 TEXAS, 6:41.984
Texas Crew: Emily Walker (coxswain), Jessica Smith, Melanie Eckert, Rachel Smith, Sara Neaves, Victoria Bartell, Victoria Bujala, Angela Bumstead, Sofia Arend
5 Michigan, 6:42.182
6 Wisconsin, 6:42.724
Four
1 Virginia, 7:21.652
2 Brown, 7:24.459
3 Washington, 7:26.777
4 Washington State, 7:27.334
5 Stanford, 7:37.184
6 TEXAS, 7:38.642
Texas Crew: Kenna Harris (coxswain), Carmen Hargis-Villanueva, Allyson Hite, Natalie Guzikowski, Rachel Fleming
Sunday's Race Schedule (all times Pacific)
8 a.m., 4+ petite final (7th through 12th place)
1 Washington State
2 California
3 Stanford
4 Michigan
5 TEXAS
6 Notre Dame
8:24 a.m., II 8+ petite final (7th through 12th place)
1 TEXAS
2 Stanford
3 Michigan
4 Virginia
5 Wisconsin
6 Indiana
9 a.m.: I 8+ grand final (1st through 6th place)
1 Ohio State
2 California
3 Stanford
4 Virginia
5 Washington
6 TEXAS
Players Mentioned
