Wisconsin women’s openweight crew placed fourth Sunday in the Jessop-Whittier Cup Petite Final at the San Diego Crew Classic.
UW’s time of 6:52.22 edged Big Ten-rival Minnesota for fourth place in the race. The Gophers crossed the line in 6:52.60. The University of Tennessee took the race with a 6:46.67. Duke, with a 6:46.89, and Clemson, with a 6:51.29, finished ahead of the Badgers.
Under sunny skies, with a moderate cross wind and temperatures in the upper 60s, the Badgers started strong, reaching the 500-meter split in 1:41.61, nearly one and a half seconds behind Minnesota. Wisconsin used a strong third 500 make up the deficit on the Gophers and put distance between themselves and Minnesota. The Badgers held off a late Gopher charge.
“This was a very successful regatta for the Wisconsin openweight women’s team in that we made a commitment to certain performance goals,” head coach Maren LaLiberty said. “Learning how to make the boat swing in a competitive situation as well as learning how to deal with specific course conditions on a racing course. The team was disappointed in getting fourth place in the petite and would have had hoped to be in the top three but were excited to beat the other Big Ten crew in the final. We also look forward to getting more water time as soon as the Wisconsin weather allows it.”
— compiled from staff reports
