No. 1 Rowing sweeps Longhorn Invite

Saturday, April 30

Austin, Texas

University of Texas

Longhorn Invite

04.30.2022 | Rowing

Texas won five races in the final regular-season regatta of the year.

AUSTIN, Texas – No. 1 Texas Rowing closed out the regular-season schedule with a sweep of five races at the Longhorn Invite at Walter. E Long Lake on Saturday morning. The Longhorns' First Varsity Eight improved its winning streak to 15-straight races dating back to the start of last season, while the Second Varsity Eight and Varsity Four remain unbeaten this season through seven races per event.

There's nothing like racing at home. 🤘 #LonghornInvite #HereComesTexas | #HookEm pic.twitter.com/24yclaQHC0
— Texas Rowing (@TexasRowing) May 1, 2022

"Today was a great day in every respect. The team did a terrific job, and I'm glad the event came together so well. It was impressive on many levels," said Texas head coach Dave O'Neill. "Each boat stepped up and really showed some speed."

In a field that included ranked squads No. 10 Ohio State, No. 14 Virginia, No. 16 SMU, as well as a strong UCLA squad, the Texas I Eight, II Eight, I Four, II Four and III Eight A all came away with impressive victories, while the Texas III Eight B added a second-place result.

Texas' effort was highlighted by the First Eight's dominating victory, winning by 12 seconds after crossing the line at 6:10.269, followed by Ohio State in 6:22.353 and SMU in 6:22.441.

"The First Eight has been pretty solid, and they can be pretty fun to watch at times," O'Neill said. "This is fifth or sixth different version of the boat, as there have been changes each week. They keep getting better, and there are a few things we can still improve. I thought moving Aspa Christodoulidis to six-seat worked well. She is very skilled, strong and long, and did great work today."

The Texas Second Eight also tallied a convincing victory, posting a time of 6:21.431 to SMU's 6:29 672 and Ohio State's 6:30.891, to remain unbeaten on the year.

"The Second Eight has been working on a few things, and they seem to be improving each week," O'Neill said. "There are some very strong people in there, and they can really step on the gas."

In the Varsity Four, Texas (7:01.229) topped Ohio State (7:07.206) by nearly six seconds to also keep its unbeaten string intact.

"Like many teams, our first four has been different each week, and this week's version had real experience and showed some good speed," O'Neil said. "I thought that crew did a great job."

The tightest race if the day occurred in the Second Varsity Four with Texas collecting the victory with a time of 7:08.335, out-sprinting Ohio State (7:08.725) over the final 100 meters to win by less than half a second.

The Longhorns opened the morning with a 1-2 finish in the 3V8 from the Texas A (6:29.593) and Texas B (6:38.246) boats, respectively, with Virginia (6:41.563) placing third.

"Our three eights in the Third Eight race really showed the depth of the program," O'Neill said. "It was the first race for many of the team members. In fact, some have been waiting three years for this opportunity, and all boats made the most of it."

The Longhorns will be back on the water on Sunday, May 15 when they host the Big 12 Championship at Walter E. Long Lake. Texas has won six-straight Big 12 Conference Champions crowns and won 10 of the 12 Big 12 Conference Championships held, placing runner-up in 2013 and fourth in 2014. The championship race will consist of Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma and West Virginia and conference affiliates No. 19 Tennessee and RV Alabama.

RESULTS
First Eight
1. TEXAS – 6:10.269
2. Ohio State – 6:22.353
3. SMU – 6:22.441
4. Virginia – 6:28.918
5. UCLA – 6:32.196

Second Eight
1. TEXAS – 6:21.431
2. SMU – 6:29.672
3. Ohio State – 6:30.891
4. Virginia – 6:34.750
5. UCLA – 6:50.687

First Four
1. TEXAS – 7:01.229
2. Ohio State – 7:07.206
3. Virginia – 7:09.731
4. SMU – 7:14.757
5. UCLA – 7:38.346

Second Four
1. TEXAS – 7:08.335
2. Ohio State – 7:08.725
3. SMU – 7:16.656
4. Virginia – 7:27.048
5. UCLA – 7:53.243

Third Eight
1. TEXAS A - 6:29.593
2. TEXAS B - 6:38.246
3. Virginia - 6:41.563
4. SMU - 6:43.436
5. TEXAS C - 6:50.478

LINEUPS

First Eight: Rachel Rane (coxswain), Kaitlin Knifton (stroke) Francesca Raggi, Aspa Christodoulidis, Etta Carpender, Anna Jensen, Susanna Temming, Sophia Calabrese, Lisa Gutfleisch (bow)