It Takes Two
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. – The No. 4 Stanford women’s rowing team took two of three races in its second meeting of the season against No. 9 USC on Saturday at Redwood Shores.
The Cardinal continued to show its team depth as the second varsity eight and varsity four boats came through with victories to help Stanford win the dual match against the Trojans. Both boats were able to claim big wins with slightly different lineups. Stanford’s 1V8, 2V8 and 1V4 has now won five of six races against USC as they swept three contests at the Lake Natoma Invitational two weeks ago.
“It speaks to the depth of the program that we have been building these last four years,” said graduate student Valerie Frank. “It says a lot that we can move people in and out of boats and still be really fast. It helps having the fitness that we have this year and all the work we have put in gives us trust in our ability going into each race.”
The second varsity eight won its race in convincing fashion. USC came out of the gates faster and had a lead on the Cardinal, but at the 500 meter mark Stanford started to make its move. They were able to overtake the Trojans and keep building on the lead through the rest of the race as they won in open water with a time of 6:57.35, over eight seconds faster than USC.
“We knew USC was going to come at us hard after Lake Natoma so we were prepared for a tough race and responded,” said Frank. “It was a really good race for us because when we got down we were able to hit our rhythm and speed. One of our strengths is that when we move, we keep moving and we were able to do that today.”
The Stanford 2V8 has now won four of its last five races, all featuring wins over teams in the top 10 nationally. The boat has five victories in eight races overall this spring.
The varsity four followed up the win by the 2V8 with its fifth win of the spring as well. Similar to the 2V8 race, USC started out a little ahead of Stanford. The Cardinal was able to push ahead a quarter of the way through the race. Trailing in the last 400 meters, the Trojans started to gain ground, but Stanford gathered themselves and quickened its pace to hold on for the win. The Cardinal finished over three seconds in front of the Trojans with a time of 7:35.37.
“We knew it was going to be a tough race because USC is a great team,” said sophomore Hope Sheils. “We trusted in our plan and our teammates. We knew we had a little more to give at the end and it was enough to get the win today.”
The first race of the day featured the varsity eights. USC had a little bit of open water on Stanford with 300 meters to go when the Cardinal started its charge. Stanford was able to take a seat every couple of strokes, but it was a little too late in the race as the Trojans crossed just ahead of the Cardinal. Stanford’s time was 6:35.51, just over three seconds behind USC.
Stanford will host its final event of the regular season next Saturday. They will take on No. 2 Cal in the annual Big Row at Redwood Shores. The first race is tentatively scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.
No. 4 Stanford vs. No. 9 USC Dual
Redwood Shores Lagoon
Redwood Shores, Calif.
April 26, 2014
Results
Varsity Eight
1. USC - 6 :32.24
2. Stanford - 6:35.51
Second Varsity Eight
1. Stanford - 6:57.35
2. USC - 7:05.6
Varsity Four
1. Stanford - 7:35.37
2. USC - 7:38.94
Boat Lineups
1V8 – Coxswain Naomi Cornman, Anna Dawson, Lilly Tinapple, Nancy Miles, Ruth Narode, Filippa Karrfelt, Daphne Martschenko, Christina Bax, Kristy Wentzel
2V8 – Coxswain Liza Gurtin, Courtney Carrabino, Kay Rusher, Chierika Ukogu, Ali Fauci, Meredith Fischer, Valerie Frank, Katie Toothman, Emily Grundman
1V4 – Coxswain Katie Lopez, Ellie Parker, Alix Chrumka, Reilly Hayes, Hope Sheils