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Friday, March 29, 2024
The Observer

WOMEN'S CREW: Rowers demolish Cincinnati, take step toward NCAAs

The Irish used the St. Joseph's River to their full advantage Sunday morning on the way to a rout of Cincinnati.The early-morning competition started off on the right foot for the Irish women, participating in their sole home regatta of the season. The first varsity four began the meet in the 2000-meter race alongside the pathways of downtown South Bend.The varsity four women were strong from the start, easily beating a weak Cincinnati crew, with a winning time of 7:40.4, The Bearcats trailing by slightly under 10 seconds.The first varsity eight took to the waters of St. Joseph's next, leading from the start, tearing along the course on what would become the fastest time on the day. Cincinnati finished over 10 seconds behind an Irish finish of 6:34.1. Throughout the regatta, the Irish never relinquished the lead. The first varsity eight victory over Cincinnati is another crucial step in the season-long trek towards the NCAA Championships. Irish coach Martin Stone feels that it is still too early to gauge definitive chances of gaining a berth, but the victory is still a huge step. Stone believes there is still much more to be accomplished at the Big East and Central Regional Championships.Next up on the river was the second varsity eight, securing a seven second success over the Bearcats. The second varsity four added to the number of Irish victories on the day with a finish that was 16.6 seconds ahead of Cincinnati.Experience proved not to be the sole requisite to success on the day, as the novice freshmen women forced their competitors to rock in their wake as fiercely as their varsity counterparts. The first novice eight sped to the forefront and held it the length of the course, powering its way to an 18-second rout of Cincinnati. The second novice eight rowed to the finish 27 seconds ahead of its opponents. A combined novice and third varsity four doubled the previous margin of victory to take out the Bearcats by nearly 54 seconds."The kids were really happy with their places," Stone said of his team's thoughts on its performance. Stone was cool and confident in his team's sweep of the Bearcats.He reserved much of his judgment in his team's performance for later, once he had a chance to review film and go over the data pulled from the races.