Hard-Earned Third-Place Finish for UMass at A-10 Championships

PENNSAUKEN, N.J. – University of Massachusetts rowing finished third in the team standings at the Atlantic 10 Championships on Saturday on the Cooper River. With 38 points across the three scoring crews, the Minutewomen trailed only Rhode Island (54) and George Washington (47) for the conference crown.

All three Minutewomen boats reached their respective Grand Finals, and the Varsity 4 crew of coxswain Kaylee Carlson, Karin Michel, Kelsey Diggins, Kelly Houston and Haley O'Donnell earned silver medals.

Following the championship, Kelly Glennon and Alexis Harvell were named Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team and Mikaela Hammond-Holland was tabbed Second Team.

"I'm really proud of all three crews for each of their performances, as the goal was to put out our best piece of the year today," said head coach Eric Carcich. "Conditions at the Cooper River could not have been more ideal after the less than ideal year leading up to the championship. A shoutout to our senior group who have laid the foundation for years to come. Thank you for all you have done for UMass rowing! A great finish to 2021 as we continue building."

Leading off Grand Final races, the Varsity Four set the tone with a gutsy second place finish and closing in on first-place URI. Ultimately UMass crossed the finish line in 8:15.987, less than three seconds behind the Rams.

Next up was the Second Varsity Eight, which tabbed fourth (7:20.192). The Minutewomen battled through a barnburner of a race for third with Saint Joseph's, closing the gap with the Hawks before running out of real estate and 0.9 seconds behind the Hawks.

Capping the day off was the Varsity Eight, which had one of its strongest races of late. With four boats battling for position through the 1,000-meter mark and URI poking ahead of the pack, it was a gritty final stretch for UMass especially in the final 500 meters. In the end the Minutewomen punched their bow ball ahead of St. Joe's for fourth place (6:59.328) and secure the third place team finish.

In the early prelim heats, Massachusetts advanced to each Grand Final by way of a second-place finish in the Varsity 4 (8:06.624), second in the Second Varsity 8 (7:22.406) and third in the Varsity 8 (7:15.049).

Follow Massachusetts rowing on Facebook (UMass Rowing), Twitter (@UMassRowing) and Instagram (@umass_rowing).

2021 Atlantic 10 Championships Team Standings

TEAM	V8	2V8	V4	TOTAL
Rhode Island	27	18	9	54
GW	24	16	7	47
UMass	18	12	8	38
Saint Joseph's	15	14	4	33
Dayton	21	6	3	30
Fordham	9	10	5	24
Duquesne	6	8	6	20
George Mason	12	4	2	18
La Salle	3	0	0	3

Lineups
Varsity Eight
C: Natalie DiLeo
S: Livia Iwanicki
7: Mary Koelsch
6: Grace White
5: Nailah Pierce
4: Mikaela Hammond-Holland
3: Alexis Harvell
2: Kelley Glennon
B: Ashley Picard

Second Varsity Eight
C: Bridget Murphy
S: Isabel Grant
7: Gráinne Flanagan
6: Bri Donahue
5: Barbora Hlachova
4: Caleigh O'Neil
3: Elizabeth Connolly
2: Riley Anderson
B: Grace Coogan

Varsity Four
C: Kaylee Carlson
S: Karin Michel
3: Kelsey Diggins
2: Kelly Houston
B: Haley O'Donnell

All-Conference First Team
Maggie Cahill, Dayton
Celia Gambacorta, Duquesne
Sophie Singh, Fordham
Lauren Bennett, George Washington
Kate Donohue, George Washington
Alexis Harvell, Massachusetts
Kelley Glennon, Massachusetts
Emily Winslow, Rhode Island
Jennae Alexander, Rhode Island
Sarah Dudinski, Rhode Island
Shane Devine, Saint Joseph's

All-Conference Second Team
Sam Bauer, Dayton
Grace Moody, George Mason
Naomi Lee, George Washington
Kathleen Westover, George Washington
Angela Hallinan, La Salle
Mikaela Hammond-Holland, Massachusetts
Katie Usher, Rhode Island
Corinne O'Neill, Saint Joseph's
Shannon Mulgrew, Saint Joseph's

Scoreboard