University of Massachusets Athletics
Rowing Set For A-10 Championships This Weekend
April 15, 2011 | Rowing
April 15, 2011
AMHERST, Mass. -
| Massachusetts At The Atlantic 10 Championships | |
| Date | April 16 at 8:00 a.m. (EST) |
| Location | Pennsauken, N.J. | Cooper River |
| Schedule | Schedule of Events |
| Results | Live Results |
| Notes | Massachusetts Notes |
| Social Media |  
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| UMass Lineup |
Varsity Eight: Samantha Schnoerr (coxs), Kaitlyn MacKenzie, Michaela Streitfield, Candace Miller, Amanda Doolin, Kendall Bennett, Alexandra DiMatteo, Katie VonZweck & Katelyn Allocco Second Varsity Eight: Carly Payne (coxs), Elizabeth Euiler, Chelsea Wakeham, Emily Boucher, Kelsey Schachter, Gabrielle Hayward, Alexandra Daggy, Beth Paret & Megan Donovan Varsity Four: Em Chiu (coxs), Teresa O'Brien, Meredith Kearney, Rachel Spielberg & Adrienne Breef-Pilz |
The UMass rowing team will look to regain the Atlantic 10 Championship crown this weekend when the Minutewomen travel back to the Cooper River in Pennsauken, N.J. for the 16th annual conference championships on Saturday, beginning at 8 AM. Massachusetts has won 13 A-10 titles all-time, and finished as the runner up to Rhode Island last season. For the second straight year, the league championship will only include Varsity 8+, Second Varsity 8+ and Varsity 4+ finishes towards the team trophy. Atlantic 10 All-Conference selections will also be announced during the awards ceremony on Saturday.
Checking The Forecast: 

• Pennsauken is expecting rain and wind to enter the area for tomorrow's Championships. A steady rain is projected for the final heats in the afternoon along with winds at 20-30 miles per hour. Temperatures should stay in the mid-50's throughout the day.
Massachusetts History At The Atlantic 10 Championships:
• UMass has won 13 Atlantic 10 titles since the conference added rowing in 1996 and have finished in second place in two of the last three seasons, finishing second to Rhode Island on both occasions.
• Massachusetts head coach Jim Dietz has been named the conference Coach of the Year seven times, most recently in 2005. The Minutewomen also boast seven championship records: Varsity Eight (6:26.60 in 1997), Second Varsity Eight (6:43.78 in 1998), Novice Eight (6:54.80 in 1998), Lightweight Eight (6:47.00 in 1998), Lightweight Four (7:51.90 in 2009) and Quad (7:03.05 in 1998).
Last Time Out: Varsity 4+ Races To Gold At The Knecht Cup
• In the final race of the weekend, the UMass Varsity Four beat out Buffalo to capture the gold in the Grand Final of the Knecht Cup on the Cooper River in Camden, N.J. In a seven boat race due to a protest following semifinal competition, the Minutewoman team of Em Chiu (coxswain), Teresa O'Brien, Meredith Kearney, Rachel Spielberg and Adrienne Breef-Pilz clocked in with a time of 7:46.20 to take first place.
• Co-captain Elizabeth Euiler and Megan Donovan set the tone for UMass early on Sunday with an open water victory in the Double with a time of 8:04.30, beating out a fellow Massachusetts boat (9:01.00), two Colgate entries and Villanova by 20 seconds. The Minutewomen also finished in second place in the Quad (7:29.85).
• The tightest race of the day came as the Second Varsity Eight went toe-to-toe with Wisconsin and Delaware with a time of 6:58.00 to claim the bronze medal. Competing in the Second Varsity 8+ were Carly Payne (coxswain), Euiler, Chelsea Wakeham, Emily Boucher, Kelsey Schachter, Gabrielle Hayward, Beth Paret and Donovan.
UMass In The National Polls:

• In the most recent USRowing Collegiate Poll, the Lightweight 8+ remained in ninth nationally for the second straight week, the lone Atlantic 10 team included in the poll. The boat was seeded eighth in the first poll earlier this season, and was also included in the poll throughout last season.
Varsity Four Sets The Pace:
• The quintet of Teresa O'Brien, Meredith Kearney, Rachel Spielberg, Adrienne Greef-Pilz and coxswain Em Chiu have finished first in each of their last two races as part of the Varsity Four. Two weeks ago, they defeated Colgate by nine seconds with a time of 5:40 before last weekend's Knecht Cup.
• On Day One on the Cooper River, the V4+ reached the semifinal with a second place finish (8:24.01) in its preliminary heat. The boat continued its early season success with a first place finish in the semifinals with a time of 8:09.31 to advance to Sunday's Grand Final, where it took the gold over Buffalo with a time of 7:46.20.
The 2011 UMass Minutewomen:
• This season's roster sports 20 upperclassmen, including 11 seniors and two graduate students, who hope to use past experiences to lead their younger teammates to consistent success. Seniors Liz Euiler and Samantha Schnoerr will serve as co-captains for the 2011 season. Schnoerr, a coxswain, and Euiler are two of the seven returning members from last season's Varsity Eight boat.
• The UMass Second Varsity Eight also returns several key members from last season's lineup, including seniors Carly Payne (coxswain) and Kelsey Schachter. Joining them is junior Emily Boucher, who raced at the 2010 Under 23 World Championships in the Lightweight Single Sculls over the summer, and Megan Donovan, a 2010 Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team member.
• Joining the veterans are 20 freshman rowers, who will compete in various novice boats throughout the season.
The Spring Schedule:
• UMass will begin the 2011 spring season with a scrimmage against the Coast Guard Academy on March 19 at the Connecticut River. From there, the Minutewomen will head to Kingston, R.I. for the Yankee Cup, a regatta that the team finished second at last season. A new addition to the season slate, Colgate, will travel to Amherst for an April 2 date with the Minutewomen at 8 AM, again on the Connecticut River.
• Massachusetts will then begin a string of three straight races in Camden, N.J., beginning with the two-day Knecht Cup, where junior Emily Boucher won the singles event last season. UMass will remain in New Jersey for the 16th Annual Atlantic 10 Championships on April 16 on the Cooper River. The 2011 conference championships will be the second season that only the Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight and Varsity Four boat finishes will count towards the final team standings.
• After competing with Holy Cross in Worcester on April 23, the Massachusetts Lightweight Eight will look to defend their 2010 first place finishes at the Dad Vail Regatta (May 13-14) and USRowing Collegiate Championships (May 23-24).
UMass Represented At C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints:
• Eight members of the UMass women's rowing team competed in the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints on Sunday at Agganis Arena in Boston. Five Minutewomen were entered in the Women's Openweight at the World Indoor Rowing Championships while three Massachusetts rowers, each of whom raced as part of the Lightweight 8+ that took home the gold at last season's Dad Vail Regatta, competed in the Women's Lightweight Open. Megan Donovan led all UMass rowers with a ninth place finish in lightweight competition, while Adrienne Breef-Pilz placed 31st amongst Women's Open competitors.
• To read the full release and view results from UMass' performance at the C.R.A.S.H.-B's, click here.
UMass Rowing Holds Boat Dedication:
• During halftime of the men's basketball game against Maine on December 8, the UMass Rowing team held a boat dedication ceremony at half-court, honoring former student-athletes Michelle Whitcomb-Borkhuis and Wendy Wilbur. During their time at UMass, both women were instrumental in providing the building blocks for what makes the Massachusetts Rowing team successful today. The Minutewomen also dedicated a boat to current UMass Hall of Famer Sarah Jones earlier this year.
• Michelle Whitcomb was a seven-time member of United States Women's National Rowing Team from 1997 to 2003. She was a ten-time U.S. National Champion and won the Canadian Henley in 1996 as well as the prestigious Head of the Charles in 1997. Michelle demonstrated excellent versatility, competing at National levels as both an openweight, a lightweight, a sweep rower and a sculler.
• Wendy Wilbur was a part of the UMass 1997 Women's Eight that placed a historic second at the Inaugural NCAA Women's Rowing Championship. That year she was also named a USRowing Academic All American.
• To read the full release on the UMass Rowing Boat Dedication, click here.
Sarah Jones Inducted Into UMass Hall Of Fame:
• The first-ever UMass Hall of Famer from the rowing program, Sarah Jones has had a decorated career in college and with the United States National Team and Olympic Team. With the Minutewomen, she was an NCAA Silver Medalist in 1997 in the Varsity 8+. She was a two-time Atlantic 10 Champion in both 1996 and 1997. Jones was a member of the first collegiate team to win the women's 8+ at the Head of the Schuylkill in 1996 and helped UMass to the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta Silver Medal in 1996 with the Varsity 8+.
• Jones was a member of United States National Team from 1997-2003. She competed for Team USA at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia and 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, helping the stars and stripes to a sixth-place finish. She medaled six times in the World Championships. Jones was a two-time World Championship gold medalist in both 1999 and 2000. She was also a silver medalist at the Head of the Charles in 1998 and 1999 and took bronze in 1997.
Boucher Goes Global:
• Emily Boucher (Lee, N.H.) represented the United States at the 2010 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Brest, Belarus. Boucher raced in the Lightweight Single Sculls event, where she earned a spot after capturing gold by nearly seven seconds in the same event at the U23 Trials in late June.
• Boucher got off to a tough start on the first day of competition, finishing fifth in her preliminary heat with a time of 8:08.51. She put up a fight through the first half of the course before falling back to eventual top-finisher from Belarus.
• The UMass junior was then forced to race in the repechage where she placed third, shaving off three seconds from her previous time with a 8:05.67 to earn a spot in the semifinals.
• Boucher stayed consistent during the semifinals with a finish time of 8:05.05, but boats from Belarus and Austria set the pace in their one-two finish, pushing Boucher down to fifth place. Competition didn't get any easier in the Final B, however, as Kazakhstan and Switzerland made it a two-boat race with Boucher clocking in with a time of 9:02.90, a sixth place finish.
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