UConn rowing kicks off Fall season with success

The UConn rowing team competed in the Head of the Riverfront Regatta in Hartford on Sunday. The race was the first of three events on the fall slate for the women’s rowing program, which has been a varsity sport since 1997.

Head Coach Jennifer Sanford-Wendry put six varsity boats in the Connecticut River Sunday afternoon.

In the first women’s varsity eight race, UConn’s boat finished second out of eight teams with a time of 16:44.91. In the 3,800-meter race, the Huskies lost to Trinity College by just 2.31 seconds. The Trinity squad won all of the women’s college races, but UConn was the only school to come close to defeating the Bantams.

In the second varsity eight race, a pair of UConn teams finished second and third in a five-boat race. Seniors Dana Blaicher, Adrienne Barrett and Brit DePoi guided the second varsity eight “A” team to a time of 15:38.70. Senior Amber Crispino and varsity eight “B” boat followed with a time of 15:45.44.

In the only final of women’s varsity four, UConn placed fourth, ninth and eleventh out of 12 teams. Coxswain Elise McCormick, freshman Audrey Kelley, sophomore Diana Gryszkiewicz, senior Caitlin Swallow and junior Natalie Carlone made up UConn’s Varsity 4 “A” boat. They posted a team-best time of 17:06.46, less than nine seconds behind third place. Trinity swept the top three places with a winning time of 16:37.34.

The other schools that competed in the all-day event include Trinity College, Mount Holyoke College, U.S. Coast Guard Academy and Sacred Heart University.

The Huskies will hit the water again at the Head of Charles Oct. 20 and 21 in Boston. The following week, Oct. 27, the rowing team will conclude their fall campaign at the Head of Fish in Saratoga, NY.