University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Travels Cross-Country For NCAA Championships Friday
May 26, 2015 | Rowing
UMass Sports Network 2015 NCAA Rowing Championships Preview
| University of Massachusetts Rowing Race Notes: 2015 NCAA Championships | ||
| Event | 2015 NCAA Rowing Championships | |
| Date | Time | Friday-Sunday, May 29-31 | All Day | |
| Location | Sacramento State Aquatic Center; Gold River, Calif. | |
| Fan Information | Directions & Parking | Local Attractions, Shopping & Dining | Tickets (NCAA) | |
| UMass NCAA History | Fourth team appearance. Last: 2014 NCAA Championships | |
| Results | Regatta Timing | |
| Watch (Free) | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
| Team Information | Massachusetts Rowing Record Book | |
| Twitter | @UMassRowing  | @UMassAthletics |
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UMass Lineups: 2015 NCAA Championships (Day One)
Varsity 8+: Heather Pekarovich (cox), Lauren St. Pierre, Emily Mann, Marika Kopp, Pippa Edwards, Aiste Balciunaite, Nicole Destefano, Haley York & Allanah Rubi-Mooney
Second Varsity 8+: Haley Eovine (cox), Rachel Boudreau, Sam Wonderlin, Katherine Armstrong, Hadley Irvin, Krysten Menks, Zoe Hill, Natalie Boisvert & Grace Bundy
Varsity 4+: Abigail Raichek (cox), Hallie Dunlap, Mia Bornstein, Estefi Marti Malvido & Courtney Edson
UMass Race Schedule: 2015 NCAA Championships*
Varsity 8+: Heat 4 - 12:40 p.m.
Second Varsity 8+: Heat 4 - 1:20 p.m.
Varsity 4+: Heat 2 - 1:40 p.m.
*Times are Eastern; Friday heat outcomes determine future races
2015 NCAA Championships Information
The 2015 NCAA Rowing Championships will be hosted at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center in Gold River, California, with the Pac-12 Conference serving as the host institution. Twenty-two squads earned berths into the event, including New England regional qualifications by Brown, Harvard, Massachusetts, Northeastern and Yale.
More information will be provided through the NCAA prior to the start of racing Friday, May 29.
Full Field Announced For 2015 NCAA Championship
The NCAA announced the 2015 Division I Rowing Championships field of competitors Tuesday, May 19, during its annual selection show, with the University of Massachusetts among those set to take part. The Minutewomen are one of 22 programs involved in the upcoming event after UMass earned the Atlantic 10 Conference's automatic bid.
Eleven conferences were awarded automatic qualification and the remaining 11 slots were filled with at-large selections to complete the championship field. The Minutewomen are seeded 18th in the Varsity 4+ and 20th in the Varsity 8+ and Second Varsity 8+.
UMass Rowing At The NCAA Championships
UMass is participating in the NCAA Championship for the second consecutive season. The Maroon and White also earned the A-10 auto-bid in 2014. Prior to last season, Massachusetts appeared in the NCAA Championship during 1997 and 1998 as a team while the Varsity 8+ boat competed individually in 1999.
UMass Win Second Consecutive Dad Vail Women's Title
UMass rowing wrapped up its pre-NCAA Championship competition with the second day of the Dad Vail Regatta on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. During events on Saturday, the Minutewomen earned three gold medals with top times from the Varsity 4+, Varsity 8+ and Second Varsity 8+ boats and brought home the top spot in the women's team standings for the second consecutive season. After it was initially ruled a tie for the top spot between Massachusetts and Bucknell, a recount of the points cemented the women's title for the Minutewomen.
Haley Eovine, Rachel Boudreau, Sam Wonderlin, Katherine Armstong, Hadley Irvin, Krysten Menks, Estefi Marti Malvido, Carly Zanatta and Grace Bundy won their semifinal race and brought those winning ways into the finale with the Coleman D. Boylan Trophy up for grabs. The boat ended more than six seconds in front of Bucknell for the gold medal with a time of 6:40.401.
Heather Pekarovich, Lauren St. Pierre, Emily Mann, Marika Kopp, Pippa Edwards, Aiste Balciunaite, Nicole Destefano, Haley York and Allanah Rubi-Mooney continued the trend of strong performances for the Minutewomen in the Varsity 8+, which won the Evelyn Bergman Trophy in the Varsity 8+ Grand Finale with its 6:36.376 finish, almost four seconds in front of Bucknell's boat.
The Varsity 4+ also took first as Abigail Raichek, Hallie Dunlap, Sam Kolovson, Natalie Boisvert and Courtney Edson guided the boat to a 7:28.673 finish and edged Bucknell for first as the Bison followed in 7:30.126.
Minutewomen Claim 2015 A-10 Title, Secure Auto-Bid Into NCAAs
The Massachusetts women's rowing program claimed the 2015 Atlantic 10 Championship on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey, as the squad recorded 53 points to hold off second place Rhode Island on Saturday, May 2. The win grants UMass the A-10 automatic bid to the NCAA Championship in Sacramento, California, set to begin May 29.
A pair of first place finishes in the Varsity 8 and Second Varsity 8 events and a silver medal finish in the Varsity 4 event guided UMass to their 15th conference championship in program history. Saturday's win is the second straight year that the Minutewomen won the Atlantic 10 crown.
In the decisive Varsity 8 race, UMass finished three seconds ahead of Rhode Island with a time of 6:50.23 to clinch the Atlantic 10 title. The boat consisted of Heather Pekarovich, Lauren St. Pierre, Emily Mann, Marika Kopp, Pippa Edwards, Aiste Balciunaite, Nicole Destefano, Haley York and Allanah Rubi-Mooney.
The Minutewomen also notched a gold medal in the Second Varsity 8 race with a time of 6:55.88, more than six seconds ahead of the second place Saint Joseph's boat. Led by Haley Eovine in the coxswain, the boat of Rachel Boudreau, Sam Wonderlin, Katherine Armstrong, Hadley Irvin, Krysten Menks, Zoe Hill, Carly Zanatta, and Grace Bundy garnered 18 points towards the UMass total.
The Varsity 4 boat of Abigail Raichek, Hallie Dunlap, Sam Kolovson, Natalie Boisvert and Courtney Edson picked up a silver medal in the 4+ event with a time of 7:36.50, five seconds behind first place Rhode Island (07:31.10) to round out the UMass scoring with eight points in the event.
St. Pierre Named UMass Female Spring Scholar-Athlete
The University of Massachusetts Athletic Department recognized baseball junior Ben Panunzio and rowing redshirt-senior Lauren St. Pierre as the UMass Spring Scholar-Athletes during the UMass Sports Luncheon on Wednesday, May 6.
St. Pierre is a two-time Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team selection and perennial inclusion on the A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll. A dynamic competitor, St. Pierre has taken part in single, double, quad races throughout her career at UMass in addition to her role in the UMass Varsity 8+ boat. Recently, St. Pierre helped guide the Minutewomen to the 2015 Atlantic 10 Championship as part of the goal medal-winning Varsity 8+ boat that secured the title for UMass, the 15th in the history of the program. St. Pierre double majors in legal studies and psychology.
Maroon & White Take Home Five Atlantic 10 Honors
The University of Massachusetts rowing program tallied five year-end conference awards following the squad's Atlantic 10 Championship victory on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey, Saturday afternoon. Head coach Jim Dietz highlighted the group with his repeat performance as the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, the ninth time Dietz earned the honor as the program leader.
Three Minutewomen earned placement on the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team in redshirt-senior Lauren St. Pierre and true-seniors Marika Kopp and Heather Pekarovich. Aiste Balciunaite rounded out the quintet with a spot on the second team in her first season of collegiate competition.
St. Pierre previously earned first team laurels from the league in 2014 alongside Kopp. This award marks Pekarovich's first.
Rowing Signs Nine To National Letters of Intent
Head coach Jim Dietz announced Friday that nine women have signed National Letters of Intent to join the University of Massachusetts rowing program for the 2015-16 season. They will all be enrolled as freshman in the fall. The incoming class joins a program with 14 Atlantic 10 Championships to its ledger and three qualifications for the NCAA Championship, including the 2014 campaign.
The newest class of UMass rowing student-athletes features one member who resides in Massachusetts, seven others from across the United States and one international student that will join the Minutewomen from her home city of Harare, Zimbabwe. The nine signees include Abigail Diazcadena, Daniella Du Toit, Caroline Garvey, Kelly Graf, Hannah McCollough, Jill McGill, Olivia Monroe, Victoria Roach and Allison Russell.
UMass Rowing Volunteers At Ice Stars For Wounded Warriors
For the third straight year, the Massachusetts rowing team volunteered at the Ice Stars for Wounded Warriors event, held on April 24 and 25 at the Mullins Center and practice rink on the UMass campus. The Ice Stars for Wounded Warriors is a non-profit organization that benefits the Home Base Program Boston and the Wounded Warrior Project, two organizations that supports injured veterans from all branches of the United States military and their families.
Throughout the weekend, members of the rowing team volunteered in several capacities including set up and decoration of the venues, hockey team registrations, t-shirt sales, score keeping, photographing the event, while also participating in the parade.
The weekend event featured Olympic skating teams, Theater on Ice teams, figure skating teams, an ice hockey tournament and a parade. Many Olympians and veterans were also involved in the implementation of the Ice Stars for Wounded Warriors event.