This past weekend, Villanova’s rowing team competed at the Knecht Cup in Pennsauken, N.J. The regatta was held on the Cooper River.
Villanova’s first boat was the 2V4, featuring Lorelei Cadorette, Ella Larken, Isabelle Rotival, Taylor Pansy and Lily-Kate Foley. It crossed the finish line in 8:27.96, qualifying for the Petite Final on Saturday.
“I was proud of the team,” head coach Carissa Adams said. “It’s a multiple race regatta, so that’s what’s exciting about it.”
The V4 boat finished in 8:24.78, 11 seconds behind Wisconsin and eight ahead of Lehigh. V4 rowers Abby Shang, Nicola Ranon, Eliska Bohmanova, Emmi Stanton and Mary Eagle moved on to the semifinals, where they placed fifth with a time of 7:52.47.
The 2V8 managed a third-place finish behind MIT and UMass. It crossed the line in 7:06.59.
Villanova’s final race featured the V8. Cate Donnelly, Maggie Coyne, Jalyn Colon, Sylvia Marks, Ava DeJong, Ella Cooper, Farrah Bardouille, Sarah Robillard and Natalia Peng posted a time of 6:57.75. The boat earned fourth place, just two seconds behind Temple and Colgate in the close finish.
“They’re coming together, and then every time we race, we are talking about, we’re either winning or we’re learning,” said Adams “We try to take something away from every race.”
The Wildcats returned on Sunday for the conclusion of the Cup. Villanova competed in six races total.
The 2V8 boat earned a fifth-place finish in its semifinal, crossing the line in 7:36.94. Moving onto the final, it finished in third place, with a time of 7:17.82, putting the boat at 15th place overall.
“I was impressed by how well, overall, the whole team handled themselves with composure. Some people could have come out of the heat and felt discouraged,” Adams said. “They just put their heads down and did the work.”
Up next were the V8 semifinals. There, Villanova finished with a time of 7:20.95 to move on to the final round. In the final, the boat came in third place with a time of 6:58.57 and managed a ninth overall finish.
The 2V4 brought Villanova to its third final of the day. The Wildcats finished in third place with a time 8:42.69, just under one second behind Boston College. The finish once again gave them a ninth overall placement.
The final race featured Villanova’s V4, who crossed the line in 8:36.42 and earned a 13th overall finish.
“Today we were working on just rowing with ease and rowing loose instead of with tension,” Adams said. “We are just trying to really refine our stroke and blend as a crew.”
Villanova will not compete again until April 24-25, when it will travel to North Carolina for the Lake Wheeler Invitational.
