Bulls Send Three Boats To Grand Final At Knecht Cup

Varsity Eight picks up top times in both races today

Tara Rudkoski

CAMDEN, NJ - The University at Buffalo rowing team sent three boats into tomorrow’s Grand Final during today’s action at the Knecht Cup in Camden, NJ. The Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight and Frosh/Novice Eight all qualified for the final with the V8 and N8 boats picking up a pair of victories today.

The Varsity Eight boat finished with the top times of any boat in each of its races today. The boat consisted of coxswain Britt Marshall, Lauren Sexton, Melina DiCosimo, Tara Rudkoski, Bridgette Yannes, Ashley Hanhurst, Sasha Bailey, Sam Masucci and Caitlin Streicher. The Bulls won their first heat in 7:02.04 the fastest time in any of the four heats. The Bulls won the race by four seconds with New Hampshire finishing second. In the semifinals, UB clocked in at 7:17.4, which was the fastest time in any of the three semifinal heats. UB won that race by about 10 seconds over Delaware. The Bulls will now be joined in tomorrow’s Grand Final by Rhode Island, Drexel, Wisconsin, Delaware and New Hampshire.

Jacklyn Postulka

The Frosh/Novice Eight boat also won both of its races as the boat consisted of coxswain Tarynn Weightman, Stephanie Szymanski, Samantha Barrett, Dakota Smith, Jacklyn Postulka, Alexandra Condon, Rebecca Rayter, Rachel Cuthbert and Elizabeth Sandy. The Bulls clocked in at 7:56.0 in the opening heats to finish first, finishing 30 seconds ahead of second-place Rochester. In the semifinals, the Bulls also claimed victory in their heat with a 7:29.0 finish. UB defeated second place UConn, by about three seconds. The Bulls will be in tomorrow’s Grand Final with Tulsa, Old Dominion, Rutgers, UConn and UMass.

Kate Garofalo

Also reaching the Grand Final was the Second Varsity Eight boat, which needed just one race to accomplish the feat. The boat of coxswain Alison Sheehan, Kate Garofalo, Megan Bayley, Alana Sharpe, Francisca Nwoke, Lindsay DiCosimo, Amanda Garbacz, Patricia Arcuri and Brittany Ronald finished in first in their heat at 7:26.0, seven second ahead of Rutgers. Tomorrow’s Grand Final will consist of Buffalo, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Rutgers, UMass and George Mason.

Also competing for the Bulls was the Frosh/Novice Four and the Lightweight Eight boat. Those two crews will compete in tomorrow Petite Final in their respective races.