Varsity Eight Makes History

Saturday, May 13

Raleigh, N.C.

8 am

Syracuse University

ACC Championship

Photo by: Tracey Edson

5/13/2023 2:00:00 PM | Women's Rowing

The Orange varsity eight won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship, marking the first time in program history a varsity eight boat has won an ACC title, and the Syracuse team finished second. As a result, ACC honors poured in for the Orange, including the varsity eight securing 2023 ACC Crew of the Year, head coach Luke McGee earning ACC Coach of the Year and freshman Ellie-Kate Hutchinson winning ACC Newcomer of the Year. Virginia won the team title at the conference championship on Lake Wheeler in Raleigh, N.C.

"The varsity eight is just an exceptional boat, great people and they have shown it all year," McGee said. "I am super proud of them. It is the first time in our history that we have won that event at ACCs. To win the big one is always a huge accomplishment, especially against a team like Virginia that has done it so often. They are a group that always seems to rise to the occasion. They seem to perform their best under pressure and today was no different. They had kind of a mediocre race yesterday, so we talked about what motivates them and their best races in the past. We really didn't even talk about racing the night before, we just chatted as a group about going out today and finishing the job that they set out to do. It was an exceptional performance by the varsity eight.

"It is a really big step for our program. I know it is a boat winning it, but it really does take the entire program as far as training with each other in mixed boats throughout the year or pushing one another in the erg room through the winter, or when someone in that boat is having a tough day and it is someone else on the team picking them up and helping them move forward. It shows we are really moving in the right direction."

For the second time in three years, every Syracuse boat earned positions on the podium, including gold for the varsity eight, silver for the third varsity eight, and bronze for the second varsity eight, varsity four and second varsity four.

"It is bringing in people who are excited about being at Syracuse, excited about working hard and making the program go fast and the process we are trying to do here," McGee said. "It is about surrounding yourself with great assistant coaches who are excited about working with the athletes we have and trying to do something special as a program. It was a special day."

Senior Hannah Murphy coxswained the varsity eight that included stroke Annika Maxson, Alena Criss, Izabela Krakic, Kamile Kralikaite, Ellie-Kate Hutchinson, India Aikens, Martyna Kazlauskaite and bow Emmie Frederico. The ACC title is the second for a Syracuse boat since the Orange joined the ACC in 2013-14. The 2017 'Cuse second varsity eight won the first conference title for the Orange.

In the varsity eight race, Syracuse jumped out to an early lead and led for most of the way down the course. At the 1,500-meter mark Virginia made a push but the Orange held off the Cavaliers and won the race in 6:20.495. Virginia crossed the finish line in 6:21.351. Duke was third (6:29.283) followed by Miami (6:34.211), Notre Dame (6:35.787) and Clemson (6:42.099).

Maxson and Kralikaite earned All-ACC First Team honors and Murphy garnered All-ACC Second Team recognition. It is the fourth time Syracuse has finished second at the conference championship and the ninth time in 10 years that the Orange have placed in the top three. The 2017, 2018 and 2022 Orange all took second, while the Orange have finished third five times (2014, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2021).

The 'Cuse second varsity eight covered the course in 6:47.417, taking third behind Virginia (6:34.625) and Duke (6:34.981), and beating Notre Dame (6:51.877), Miami (6:54.837) and Clemson (7:00.696). Coxswain Louise Rath guided the boat that included stroke Junior Ognovich, Aphrodite Gioulekas, Olivia Schaertl, Lena Radke, Heather Stafford, Haley Uliasz, Zoe Acosta and bow Kaitlyn Dennis.

In the varsity four race, coxswain Caileigh Grimes, stroke Alice McNeill, Madison D'Ambra, Lea Dahn and bow Mae Sweeney finished third in 7:22.199, behind Virginia (7:08.947) and Duke (7:15.717) and ahead of Notre Dame (7:35.847), Miami (7:43.267) and North Carolina (7:43.267).

The Orange second varsity four also took third in 7:27.060. Coxswain April Serrano guided the boat that included stroke Elizabeth Vogt, Lauren Coop, Sarah Haney and bow Katharine Ryan. Virginia won the race (7:17.988) and Duke was second (7:21.084). Notre Dame was fourth (7:31.448), followed by Boston College (7:49.208), Clemson (7:52.308) and North Carolina (7:55.644).

The third varsity eight, coxswained by Isabelle DeSantis with stroke Margaux Gryska, Emma Cloud, Taylor Lewandowski, Charlotte Ebel, Nora Radke, Rebecca Farrell, Grace Loveridge and bow Maddi Segarnick, placed second in (6:51.932), behind Virginia (6:51.932) and in front of Duke (6:53.620), Notre Dame (7:02.140), Clemson (7:14.092) and Louisville (7:25.658).

"The 3V8 had an exceptional race. They have come along tremendously this year," McGee said. "(Assistant coach) Chris Kerber working with them has been fantastic. To see them in that race, the maturity they had to pull through Duke in the last 500 meters and get second, a really close second, to Virginia, with a boat with a group of former walk-ons who are now rowers is really special. An example is Rebecca Farrell, a former soccer player who joined us as a freshman and then closes her career with that kind of race. That is really special. I am super proud of that boat. It was fun to see them scoring points for us.

"The fours and the 2V8 had a tough one. I think we all kind of hoped for more, so we are still trying to work on how we can bring them up. I do feel that the team is in a really strong position now character-wise that we can handle that. We keep fighting and keep trying to find it. If we get selected for NCAAs we will have another crack at it. I know that all the work we have done as a team that we have the resiliency there where we will keep fighting and trying to find more speed in those boats."

Grand Finals Results
Saturday, May 13
Varsity Eight: Syracuse (6:20.495), Virginia (6:21.315), Duke (6:29.283), Miami (6:34.211), Notre Dame (6:35.787), Clemson (6:42.099)
Second Varsity Eight: Virginia (6:34.625), Duke (6:34.981), Syracuse (6:47.417), Notre Dame (6:51.877), Miami (6:54.837), Clemson (7:00.696)
Varsity Four: Virginia (7:08.947), Duke (7:15.7171), Syracuse (7:22.199), Notre Dame (7:35.847), Miami (7:43.267), North Carolina (7:43.267)
Second Varsity Four: Virginia (7:17.988), Duke (7:21.084), Syracuse (7:27.060), Notre Dame (7:31.448), Boston College (7:49.208), Clemson (7:52.308), North Carolina (7:55.644)
Third Varsity 8: Virginia (6:49.096), Syracuse (6:51.932), Duke (6:53.620), Notre Dame (7:02.140),a Clemson (7:14.092), Louisville (7:25.658)

Team scoring:
1. Virginia – 95
2. Syracuse – 86
3. Duke – 83
4. Notre Dame – 62
5. Miami – 51
6. Clemson – 41
7. Louisville – 27
8. North Carolina – 25
9. Boston College – 24

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