The Gophers had two boats in the grand finals races at Doc Hosea Invitational on Saturday, but the results in those races were mixed.
Minnesota left the event in Cherry Hill, New Jersey with a second place finish in the second varsity 8+ grand final and a fifth place finish in the varsity four grand final. The team also had a first place finish in the varsity eight petite final. The Gophers earned 73 points in the event to finish tied for fifth out of 12 schools.
No. 20 Minnesota raced three boats over the course of the event. The second varsity eight boat — consisting of Christina Anderson, Maura Dahl, Abby Rieser, Darcy Jennings, Katie VanCamp, Sarah Von der Goltz, Elyse Terlion, Emily Appold and Kat Hetico — finished second to No. 14 Syracuse, claiming a time of 6:43. The Orange finished in 6:42.2.
“We’re happy with the [second varsity eight]. I thought that’s about how they’d finish,” head coach Wendy Davis said. “That we were so close to Syracuse is great. It shows the depth that we have on this team. They weren’t perfect, but they raced well.”
Minnesota’s first varsity eight team consisted of Bee Lovick, Anna Stockstad, Kortney Luedloff, Allison Sterneman, Lauren Miller, Addie Morris, Sara Nelson, Lauren Burrows-Cheng and Sarah Reimann. The boat claimed a first place finish in the petite final with a time of 6:40.05, outlasting Navy, which finished with a time of 6:42.71.
“The team has to remain focused and keep on top of everything in practice,” Lovick said. “I am confident in our ability to do this. There are probably going to be changes and the team being adaptable is crucial to prepare and accommodate those changes.”
The Gopher’s first varsity four boat competed in the grand final, but fell short with a fifth place finish of 7:40.83, compared to Indiana, the first place finisher, which had a time of 7:29.6.
Minnesota travels to Madison, Wisconsin, where it competes in the Wisconsin Double Dual on Saturday against the No. 11 Badgers.
“I think this week we need to focus on finding our rhythm together and to get ready to battle some strong crews next weekend,” Stockstad said. “I think we need to work on staying calm during races and holding on to the changes we’ve made during practice.”
