The West Virginia University Rowing Team opened their spring season as a split squad over the weekend. The Mountaineers started the weekend in Sarasota Florida to compete in the Sarasota 2K on Friday. Read more: WVU Rowing Begins Spring Competition With Split Squad.
Associate Head Coach Tina Griffith On The Matchup
“As a team, we are excited to start the racing schedule with so many opportunities and solid competition,” WVU associate head coach Tina Griffith said. “This format allows us to maximize racing opportunities for as many athletes as possible.”
“At the Sarasota 2K, we are looking forward to strong competition from within the Big 12 and outside the Big 12,” Griffith said. “Many of these crews have been practicing on the water and racing for longer than we have, so it will be a good challenge and allow us to gauge our progress in the early season. This weekend will help us get a pulse on where the other schools in our conference are and help us solidify our identity and plan as we move into the most important segment of the year.”
Read: Record Breaking Performance from Naukot on Day 1 of Raleigh Relays.
Sarasota 2K Recap
Teams participating in Sarasota include Alabama, Boston College, Dartmouth, High Point, Jacksonville, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Massachusetts, Michigan State, North Carolina, Old Dominion, Stetson, Tulsa, Central Florida, and Miami. View race times here
The 1V8, 2V8 and 1V4 started the event with time trials before moving to heats and finals. Meanwhile to the 2V4 was able to move straight into the heats and onto the finals.
Read: Wren Baker’s Crossroads: Success, Scrutiny, and the Future of WVU Sports.
Matchup Against Robert Morris
The rest of the Mountaineers’ squad travelled a short distance to Neville Island, Pennsylvania to take on the Robert Morris Colonials.
Conditions: Calm conditions for the fours race. Eights raced an hour later with a 10 mph cross headwind. First 500m had light chop, the rest of the course stayed pretty flat. Tail current of about 21,000 cubic ft/second.
Comments: Fours raced 1000m rated capped at 28. WVU 4+ was made up of four rowers and the coxswain from their 3V8.
| Varsity 8 | |
| RMU V8 | 6:55.3 |
| WVU 3V8 | 7:18.1 |
| RMU 2V8 | 7:49.1 |
| Varsity Four | |
| WVU 3V4+ | 3:48.9 |
| RMU N4+ | 3:54.7 |
(Credit:row2k.com)
The 2K race against Robert Morris ended in a no-decision. The Mountaineers will face Robert Morris again this season on Saturday, May 3rd in Morgantown.
Upcoming Matches For West Virginia
The Mountaineers will travel to the Thompson Boat Center in Washington D.C to face-off against George Washington University on Saturday, April 12th and Sunday, April 13th. Following the matchup with George Washington University, the Mountaineers will return home to Morgantown for the Gold and Blue Regatta on Friday, April 18th.
West Virginia will then travel to Ford Lake Park on Saturday, April 26th for a matchup against Easter Michigan University before returning home to Morgantown for a split squad matchup vs Robert Morris and Duquesne on Saturday, May 3rd. The Big 12 Championships will be held in Sarasota Florida.
