Friday, May 13
Clemson, SC
6:00 p.m.
Syracuse University
vs
ACC Championship
#16 Syracuse Places Second at ACC Championship
5/14/2016 10:45:00 AM | Women's Rowing
Best finish at the conference chamionship as a league member
CLEMSON, S.C. – The No. 16 Syracuse University women's rowing team shared runner-up honors with Duke at the 2016 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship on Saturday morning on Lake Hartwell. It marked Syracuse's best overall finish as a league member.
Seniors Deirdre Fitzpatrick and Kari Tomeny each earned All-ACC accolades, as well. Fitzpatrick took home first-team honors, while Tomeny was named to the second team.
"This was the first time our team has finished on the plus side of Notre Dame in over a decade," head coach Justin Moore stated. "The athletes raced great. Races were incredibly competitive. You are talking tenths of seconds, thousandths of seconds over 2,000 meters. It's a reflection of how much stronger the ACC is becoming year, after year, after year."
Virginia swept all five events on Saturday morning, collecting its 16th conference title in the past 17 years.
The main event of the conference championship, the grand final of the first varsity eight, came down to the wire in the race for second place. Syracuse made a late surge in the last 500 meters, looking to catch Duke. It was a photo finish, but ultimately the Blue Devils won by .041 seconds.
"If you had told me that our varsity eight, in flat conditions, would go 6:20 and finish 5.5 seconds back of Virginia, I would have told you absolutely we are going to finish in second," added Moore. "I hope that people recognize the level of racing this first varsity eight has done throughout the season."
The grand final of the first varsity four would also be a photo finish for runner-up accolades. Duke would once again finish just ahead of Syracuse, while the Orange pushed ahead of Notre Dame. The three crews were separated by a mere 1.069 seconds.
Syracuse's second varsity four crew earned the team's top showing at the conference championship, placing second in its grand final. The third varsity eight boat placed third, while the second varsity eight crew finished in fourth place.
"When Syracuse, Louisville, and Notre Dame joined the league, we knew we were really strenghtening the rowing programs," concluded Moore. "In the third year, we have seen a clear change of speed in the field. I think it is possible moving forward to put three, four, or even five teams into the NCAA Championship."
The Orange now await their postseason fate with the announcement of the 2016 NCAA Championship field. The 22-team field will be announced on Tuesday on NCAA.com. 11 automatic bids are given to conference champions, while the remainder of the field is filled by at-large selections.
Atlantic Coast Championship Lineup
Clemson, S.C.
1V8
C – Vasiliou, McCann, Lee, Fitzpatrick, Caldwell, Tomeny, Taylor, McQuay, Johnson
2V8
C – Spraggins, Gill, Allen, Konishesky, Tobias, Hughes, Ratcliff, Adams, Richards
14V+
C – Menillo, Thornton, Jones, Warnecke, Dorner
2V4+
C – Rodriguez, Humphrey, Habjan, Hemida, McDonald
3V8
C – Litovsky, Moller, Torcivia, Preston, Andolfatto, Ezeamama, Puro, Bengis, Rodgers
Seniors Deirdre Fitzpatrick and Kari Tomeny each earned All-ACC accolades, as well. Fitzpatrick took home first-team honors, while Tomeny was named to the second team.
"This was the first time our team has finished on the plus side of Notre Dame in over a decade," head coach Justin Moore stated. "The athletes raced great. Races were incredibly competitive. You are talking tenths of seconds, thousandths of seconds over 2,000 meters. It's a reflection of how much stronger the ACC is becoming year, after year, after year."
Virginia swept all five events on Saturday morning, collecting its 16th conference title in the past 17 years.
The main event of the conference championship, the grand final of the first varsity eight, came down to the wire in the race for second place. Syracuse made a late surge in the last 500 meters, looking to catch Duke. It was a photo finish, but ultimately the Blue Devils won by .041 seconds.
"If you had told me that our varsity eight, in flat conditions, would go 6:20 and finish 5.5 seconds back of Virginia, I would have told you absolutely we are going to finish in second," added Moore. "I hope that people recognize the level of racing this first varsity eight has done throughout the season."
The grand final of the first varsity four would also be a photo finish for runner-up accolades. Duke would once again finish just ahead of Syracuse, while the Orange pushed ahead of Notre Dame. The three crews were separated by a mere 1.069 seconds.
Syracuse's second varsity four crew earned the team's top showing at the conference championship, placing second in its grand final. The third varsity eight boat placed third, while the second varsity eight crew finished in fourth place.
"When Syracuse, Louisville, and Notre Dame joined the league, we knew we were really strenghtening the rowing programs," concluded Moore. "In the third year, we have seen a clear change of speed in the field. I think it is possible moving forward to put three, four, or even five teams into the NCAA Championship."
The Orange now await their postseason fate with the announcement of the 2016 NCAA Championship field. The 22-team field will be announced on Tuesday on NCAA.com. 11 automatic bids are given to conference champions, while the remainder of the field is filled by at-large selections.
Atlantic Coast Championship Lineup
Clemson, S.C.
1V8
C – Vasiliou, McCann, Lee, Fitzpatrick, Caldwell, Tomeny, Taylor, McQuay, Johnson
2V8
C – Spraggins, Gill, Allen, Konishesky, Tobias, Hughes, Ratcliff, Adams, Richards
14V+
C – Menillo, Thornton, Jones, Warnecke, Dorner
2V4+
C – Rodriguez, Humphrey, Habjan, Hemida, McDonald
3V8
C – Litovsky, Moller, Torcivia, Preston, Andolfatto, Ezeamama, Puro, Bengis, Rodgers
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
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