PENNSAUKEN, N.J. – It was a great start to the NCAA Championships for Yale women's crew. All three Yale boats easily qualified for Saturday's A/B semifinals by posting top three finishes in the heats. The fifth-seeded varsity eight finished second, while the top-seeded second varsity eight and second-seeded varsity four both won their heats.
The varsity eight was first to race and the Bulldogs were comfortably in position to advance throughout, posting a time of 6:33.358. Penn won the heat in 6:28.454. SMU also qualified for the A/B semis by finishing third with a time of 6:38.610. Indiana, George Washington and Navy rounded out the field and move on to the C/D semis.
The second varsity eight took charge right from the start. The Bulldogs had a nearly three-second advantage after 500 meters and cruised to victory with a time of 6:40.210. Brown (6:43.170) and Ohio State (6:43.200) also advanced to the A/B semis. Indiana and Southern California will row in the C/D semis.
The varsity four also posted a wire-to-wire victory, finishing with a time of 7:23.491, nearly four seconds faster than second-place Washington (7:27.245). SMU earned the third A/B semifinal spot by placing a distant third in 7:42.189. Penn was fourth followed by Gonzaga.
"I think we can be a little bit faster in the varsity eight, but overall, a good day," said
Will Porter, The Friends of YWC Head Coach of the Bulldogs.
Now, the Bulldogs turn their attention to Saturday's A/B semifinals where the top three finishers advance to Sunday's grand final, while the next three will race in the petite final.
The varsity eight races Virginia, Michigan, Washington, Stanford and Brown at 8:48 a.m, the second varsity eight faces Michigan, Penn, Stanford, California and Ohio State at 9:24 a.m. and the varsity four wraps up Saturday racing against Ohio State, California, Stanford, Brown and SMU at 10:24 a.m.
"The competition is pretty clear here across the board," Porter said. "We just have to keep fighting day to day to get where we want to be."
YALE BOATINGS
Varsity Eight
Bow:
Anna Scott (Sr., Denver, Colo.)
2:
Lauren Carey (Jr., Harrogate, England & Cape Town, South Africa)
3:
Margaret Hedeman (Sr., Concord, Mass.)
4:
Mia Levy (So., Des Moines, Iowa)
5:
Nicole Martinez (So., Asuncion, Paraguay)
6:
Christina Bourmpou (Thessaloniki, Greece)
7:
Lucy Edmunds (Sr., North Yorkshire, Great Britain)
8:
Veronica Wall (Sr., Ashburton, New Zealand)
cox:
Grace Menke (Jr., Sarasota, Florida)
Second Varsity Eight
Bow:
Sophie Houston (Jr., Sydney, Australia)
2:
Emmeline Laurence (Sr., Greenland, N.H.)
3:
Maddie Moore (So., Naples, Fla.)
4:
Sophia Hahn (Jr., Braselton, Ga.)
5:
Maya Meschkuleit (Jr., Mississauga, Canada)
6:
Christiana Congdon (Sr., Stonington, Conn.)
7:
Mette Køchs-Nielsen (Sr., Aarhus, Denmark)
8:
Hanna Winter (Jr., Lubeck, Germany)
cox:
Esha Bhattacharya (Jr., San Ramon, Calif.)
Varsity Four
Bow:
Hannah Johns (Sr., Longmeadow, Mass.)
2:
Imogen Cabot (Fy., Cambridge, Mass.)
3:
Charlotte Fennell (Sr., Amersham, England)
4:
Violet Barletta (So., Boston, Mass.)
cox:
Hope Galusha (Fy., Manhattan Beach, Calif.)
Alternates
Lily Eales (So., Sydney, Australia)
Marie Ramm (So., Birkereod, Denmark)
