The Massachusetts women’s rowing team did not have it easy this past Saturday against Holy Cross. Racing on the cold waters of Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, while also facing winds gusting 17-20 miles per hour, was no easy day at the office, but the Minutewomen managed a sweep of the Lady Crusaders in all four races.
“It never feels good when the waves come over your back and the water is just not that warm,” UMass coach Jim Dietz said on the conditions his team had to face on Saturday.
The Minutewomen’s varsity 8+ boat had the biggest win on the day as they finished ahead of Holy Cross by over five seconds with a time of six minutes, 49 seconds. The unit consisted of Taryn Wilson, Claudia Caballero Larco, Kendall Bennett, Stephanie Brockert, Candace Miller, Michaela Streitfield, Rachel Boudreau and Angela Stigliano, while Heather Pekarovich coxed the group.
Meanwhile, the junior varsity second 8+ boat narrowly edged the Lady Crusaders with a time of 7:12. Emily Hajjar coxed the winning boat that consisted of Nicole Juul-Hindsgaul, Nicole Destefano, Sarah Wiczek, Hannah Monahan, Alexandra Daggy, Hallie Dunlap, Anna Sender and Stigliano.
The two varsity 4+ crew teams had a strong showing as well as they took first and second with Holy Cross bringing up the rear. The first 4+ team of Lindsey McClure, Rebecca Adams, Christine Hurley, Nicole Stone and Adrienne Breef-Pilz had a time of 7:52. Meanwhile, the second UMass 4+ team of Tanya Smith, Arielle Gillette, Sam Kolovson, Paige Ryder and Melissa Donahue logged a time of 8:17.1.
Dietz said his team looked very relaxed on Saturday after coming off a marginal defeat to a very talented Rhode Island squad the previous weekend.
“After the first weekend against URI, we knew we were going to be quick,” Dietz said .
UMass also produced strong performances from the two 8+ novice boats. The first boat finished with a time of 7:31 seconds, which was 8.6 seconds ahead of the Lady Crusaders. The second came in seven seconds behind Holy Cross, finishing third with a time of 7:46.6.
UMass saw big contributions from their youth this weekend, as Dietz felt that many freshmen rose to the occasion.
“There are a number of freshmen with great experience that have really enhanced our boats,” he said.
The win was a big boost of confidence for a team that has very high expectations for this year. Next week, they look to build on the win as the Minutewomen ride the momentum into the Knecht Cup in Cherry Hill, N.J., on Cooper River.
But this isn’t a regular weekend for UMass on just some river; it’s the site where the 2013 Eastern Sprints will be held and the Minutewomen have postseason aspirations.
“This will be a high intensity weekend where they will be working extremely hard,” Dietz said.
Ryan Barry can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @RyanJBarry.
