BETHEL, Ohio – Two Yale crews will row for national titles on Sunday. The second varsity eight and varsity four both posted top three finishes in the A/B semifinals to advance to Sunday's Grand Final on day two of the NCAA Championship on Harsha Lake. The varsity eight finished fifth in its semifinal but can still earn a top-10 finish with a strong showing in the Petite Final.
SECOND VARSITY EIGHT RECAP
The second varsity eight rowed another strong race after winning its heat on Friday. The Bulldogs were virtually even with Washington after 500 meters and stayed within striking distance of the Huskies all the way down the course. UW posted a winning time of 6:28.157, while Yale crossed the line in 6:30.774. Princeton (6:31.557) edged California (6:32.994) for the third and final spot in the grand final. Brown (6:37.500) and Penn (6:37.886) rounded out the field.
VARSITY FOUR RECAP
The varsity four also finished second in its semifinal and was never in danger of not advancing to the grand final. The Bulldogs posted a time of 7:12.204, more than four seconds faster than third-place Washington (7:16.534) and nearly 10 seconds faster than fourth-place California (7:21.749). Texas won the race in 7:07.379. Rutgers (7:24.795) was fifth and Penn (7:29.765) was sixth.
VARSITY EIGHT RECAP
The varsity eight was in a strong semifinal that featured Texas, Tennessee, Washington, Michigan and Ohio State. The Bulldogs finished fifth with a time of 6:25.403. Texas won in 6:11.845. Tennessee (6:16.689) and Washington 6:18.772) also advanced to the Grand Final. Michigan (6:20.948) was fourth and Ohio State (6:26.795) was sixth.
QUOTING PORTER
"Anytime you make the Grand Final in any event at the NCAAs, that is an accomplishment and to do that with two of our crews is great," said
Will Porter, The Friends of YWC Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "I'm disappointed with the way our varsity eight raced in the semifinal. I think they are better than what they showed. The goal is now to come back on Sunday and show our true speed.
"I can't understate what the second varsity has done with four first years and four sophomores in that crew. To be in the grand final in that event is really remarkable. Our four is young as well with two first years. Both of those boats have raced well."
Yale Boatings
Varsity Eight
Bow:
Lauren Carey
2:
Harriet Drake-Lee
3:
Violet Barletta
4:
Sophia Hahn
5:
Maddie Moore
6:
Mia Levy
7:
Sophie Houston
8:
Hanna Winter
Cox:
Esha Bhattacharya
Second Varsity Eight
Bow:
Stine Hojager Nielsen
2:
Maeve Heneghan
3:
Mackenzie Ealson
4:
Imogen Cabot
5:
Alexa von der Schulenburg
6:
Lindsey Williams
7:
Jana Dremelj [
8:
Aikaterini Gkogkou
Cox:
Grace Menke
Varsity Four
Bow:
Lily Eales
2:
Eva Hofmans
3:
Ailish Harkin
4:
Anna Keating
Cox:
Hope Galusha
Alternates
Patti Mullin
Zoe Alina Beeson
