Women’s Rowing Sweeps Villanova and UMass

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse women’s rowing team took first place in each of the four races that it entered a boat. The 17^th-ranked SU varsity eight took first and claimed the Orange Plus Cup with a time of 6:57.93.

SU wins the Orange Plus Cup for the fifth time in the last six years, after Massachusetts won the cup last year. UMass finished second this year with a time of 7:01.82, while Villanova took third in 7:21.49. SU’s second varsity eight won with a time of 7:18.61 over UMass. The Orange’s novice eight finished first in 7:40.09, with Villanove taking second and UMass finished third. SU’s varsity four “A” took first with a time of 8:22.88. UMass took second in the varsity four race and Villanova finished third, while SU’s “B” boat took fourth in 8:56.61. The Orange did not enter a boat in the lightweight eight race, which Villanova won.

“It was a clean sweep,” SU head coach Kris Sanford said. “We really had a great showing tonight. I thought all of our crews fought really hard and showed a lot of guts. In the varsity eight race, all three crews rowed hard and it was a hard-fought race.

“The next two week will determine a lot, with final exams and graduations. How we do at Eastern Sprints will depend on how each person handles everything in the next two weeks.”

The Orange head to Camden, N.J. on May 15 for the Eastern Sprints.

Complete Results

Varsity Eight:

Syracuse – 6:57.93

UMass – 7:01.82

Villanova – 7:21.49

Second Varsity Eight:

Syracuse – 7:18.61

UMass – 7:41.31

Novice Eight:

Syracuse – 7:40.09

Villanova – 7:49.16