WOMEN'S ROWING

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UB Rowing Place Two Top-Finishes At Head Of The Fish

Sarah McCann

Because of the hectic weather conditions, the Bulls pulled out of many races, including the Open Eight, JV Eight, Open Lightweight Eight, and the Open Novice Four. Head coach Rudy Wieler felt the conditions were unsafe for his team following the three races, foreseeing more trouble ahead for Sunday.

"After discussing the situation with the coaches, we felt it was better to avoid any more circumstances in which our rowers would compete in sopping-wet conditions and aggressive head winds," coach Wieler said.

Before the weather got worse, the Bulls proved triumphant in the 10th event of the day: the Open Lightweight Fours. The UB boat of coxswain Sarah McCann (Fayetteville, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius), Katie Barnum (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa), Beth Gaworecki (Baldwinsville, NY/C.W. Baker), Diana Minardo (Webster, NY/Webster), and Lauryn Brown (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) stroked one second quicker than runner-up Fairfield in a time of 14:04.38.

Over the past three seasons, the Bulls have always competed well in the Open Novice Eight race, coming away with three straight years with a top-finish. This year was no different, as the Bulls led the charge with two top-five finishes. The eight boat of cox Elaine Wong, Kate Garofalo (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), Cathleen Streicher (West Seneca, NY/Sacred Heart Academy), Francisca Nwoke (Rosedale, NY/Hillcrest), Kelsey Tretter (Rochester, NY/Brighton), Stephanie Papaj (Kenmore, NY/Nardin Academy), Mary Karl, Tara Rudkoski, and Sam Masucci (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) rowed 28 seconds better than the rest of the field for the top prize.

Bridget Yannes

The Open Four saw Buffalo put four boats in the water, with three of those boats placing in the top 10. The top UB boat placed second, one second behind top finisher Williams College. The four-boat of coxswain Sher Briggs (St. Catharines, Ontario/West Park), Corinne Blum (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford-Sutherland), Melina DiCosimo (Niagara Falls, Ontario/St. Paul's), Bridget Yannes (Edgewater Park, NJ/Holy Cross), and Lauren Sexton (Niagara Falls, Ontario/St. Paul's) scored a time of 12:44.56.

The Bulls finish the fall season on Saturday, where they will face the likes of Syracuse, Marist, Colgate, and UConn at the second annual Syracuse Invite. The Bulls will put four Varsity Fours and four Novice Eights into the waters.