Heavyweights Advance 1st and 2nd Varsity Eights to the Grand Final at SIRAS

This past weekend, the Heavyweights competed at the SIRAs (Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association) Regatta in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The boats competing included a Novice 4, 3rd Varsity 8, 2nd Varsity 8, and Varsity 8.

The Novice 4 began the racing for the Heavies. They raced following a fog delay early on Saturday morning and placed 3rd in their heat advancing them to the Semi-finals later in the day. They placed 6th in the semi-final falling to some competitive fours. They advanced to the C final, which was later cancelled due to weather.

The Heavyweight 3v raced in the 2v category this weekend and placed 3rd in their semi-final following fast Purdue and OKC crews. They raced again Saturday afternoon and placed 5th in their semi-final advancing them to the Petite Final on Sunday afternoon. After a competitive race, the 3v placed 5th in the Petite Final falling to the fast crews of OKC, Purdue, and Jacksonville. The 3v looks forward to racing in 4s this weekend in Boston against Bates and MIT.

The Heavyweight 2v raced in the JV event on Saturday morning and placed 3rd in their heat following FIT closely and falling to UNC by a fraction of a second. They advanced to the semi-final Saturday afternoon. The 2v had an intense race for their semi-final and placed 2nd to Temple, sprinting through UNC in the last 500 meters to secure their place in the Grand Final Sunday morning. The 2v placed 5th in the Grand Final on Sunday falling to tough competition including Temple, UVA, Georgia Tech. The boat has continued to display improvement as the weeks pass and they are excited to race Bates this coming weekend in Boston.

The 1v had their Heat early Saturday afternoon and placed 1st with Notre Dame lagging in 2nd. This victory ensured a spot in the semi-final later on Saturday afternoon. The 1v placed 2nd in their semi-final following a quick OKC crew and posting an impressive time earning them a spot in the Grand Final early Sunday morning. Following a second fog delay Sunday morning, the 1v raced in the Grand Final placing 6th behind firm crews from FIT, UVA, OKC, Temple, and UNC crews. It was the first time that the 1v made the Grand Final. They look forward to their race against MIT and Bates this weekend and look forward to their continuing improvement.

By: Sean McBride
Thank you to Rex Schilgen for the Photos!