ACC Champions!

Saturday, May 18

Raleigh, NC

8 am

Syracuse University

ACC Finals

Photo by: Tracey Edson

5/18/2024 9:33:00 PM | Women's Rowing

Syracuse won the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference championship for the first time in program history on Saturday at Lake Wheeler in Raleigh, NC. The 10th-ranked Orange scored 90 points, which tied with 16th-ranked Virginia and won the league title by virtue of winning the varsity eight race. It is the second consecutive ACC title for the varsity eight, which won ACC Crew of the Year again. The second varsity eight also won gold, marking the second ACC title for a Syracuse 2V8.

"This means everything," said head coach Luke McGee, who was named ACC Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. "We have been working toward this for the past six years. Every woman who has come through this program since I have been here, making us a little bit better, a little bit faster, a little bit stronger, and then this team actually breaking through and winning the ACC championship and getting to the mountaintop, like we have been saying all year, is really special.

"This has been building all year. There are moments that stick out. One is a meeting with the leadership council at the end of the fall semester and they asked if we were going to continue to run the Dome in the winter, which is a really hard workout. I asked them what they thought, and they said, 'yes, we should continue to run the Dome.' To me that was a signal that they really wanted to do the hard work. It has been a real steady build and buy-in since the beginning of the year as a whole team."

Graduate student Emmie Frederico, senior Kamile Kralikaite and juniors Aphrodite Gioulekas and Caileigh Grimes earned All-ACC First Team accolades and graduate student Alena Criss earned All-ACC Second Team honors. It is the third All-ACC First Team honor for Kralikaite and the second for Gioulekas.

"This is about the entire team, including the women who did not make the trip here who were a big impact on the success that we had," McGee said. "The character that they bring to the table in their work ethic, pushing others to be better, being positive and encouraging and supportive. We really do strive for and believe every person, every seat, every point really matters and that certainly played out today. Every point mattered today. It was a whole team effort. To win it as a team means everything."

The varsity eight set an ACC championship record with a time of 6:09.814 The Orange jumped out to a lead from the start, opened up a three-quarters of a boat lead at the 300-meter mark and then secured open water at 800-meters and built upon the lead throughout the second half of the race. The Orange won the race, followed by Virginia (6:15.514), Notre Dame (6:18.877), Duke (6:21.764), Miami (6:23.427) and Clemson (6:26.797). Coxswain Caileigh Grimes guided the crew of stroke Frederico, Ellie-Kate Hutchinson, Criss, Zoe Acosta, Kralikaite, India Aikens, Gioulekas and bow Izabela Krakic.

Syracuse's second varsity eight became the second 2V8 to win an ACC title, joining the 2017 champions. Coxswain April Serrano, stroke Elizabeth Vogt, Kaitlyn Dennis, Olivia Bachert, Lena Radke, Alice McNeill, Charlotte Ebel, Grace Loveridge and bow Mae Sweeney set an ACC Championship record covering the course in 6:19.406. The Orange beat Virginia (6:21.320, Duke (6:27.753), Miami (6:33.373), Notre Dame (6:37.130), Louisville (6:41.380).

The Orange third varsity eight took second in a time of 6:38.011, behind Virginia (6:35.011), and ahead of Duke (6:42.378), Notre Dame (6:53.538), Miami (6:56.008) and North Carolina (6:56.071). Coxswain Dana Shearer guided the boat that included stroke Annabelle McCulloch, Maddi Segarnick, Maddy Gisby, Emma Cloud, Taylor Lewandowski, Kelly Brown, Georgia Kaufman and bow Cassandra Dasco.

In the fours racing, the varsity four finished fourth and the second varsity four placed third. Coxswain Isabella DeSantis led the varsity four that included stroke Minaya Bishop, Haley Uliasz, Nora Radke and bow Kelsey Boswell down the course in 7:18.690. Duke won the race (7:05.130) followed by Virginia (7:11.290) and Notre Dame (7:14.693). Clemson was fifth (7:19.257) and North Carolina was sixth (7:27.080).

Less than two seconds separated the top three in the second varsity four race. The Orange earned the bronze medal with a time of 7:12.626, finishing behind Virginia (7:11.110) and Duke (7:11.770). Coxswain Chloe Van de Meulebroecke led the crew that featured stroke Sarah Haney, Lauren Coop, Aicha Abdelaziz and bow Lea Dahn.

The Orange secured the ACC automatic qualifier bid to the 2024 NCAA Championship by winning the league title. The NCAA Championship selection show is Tuesday, May 21 at 5 pm. It will be streamed on NCAA.com.

Syracuse Race Results
Grand Finals – Saturday, May 18
Third Varsity 8: Virginia (6:35.011), Syracuse (6:38.985), Duke (6:42.378), Notre Dame (6:55.538), Miami (6:56.008), North Carolina (6:56.071)
Second Varsity Four: Virginia (7:11.110), Duke (7:11.770), Syracuse (7:12.626), Clemson (7:28.406), Notre Dame (7:32.160), North Carolina (7:36.136)
Varsity Four: Duke (7:05.130), Virginia (7:11.290), Notre Dame (7:14.693), Syracuse (7:18.690), Clemson (7:19.257), North Carolina (7:27.080)
Second Varsity Eight: Syracuse (6:19.406), Virginia (6:21.320), Duke (6:27.753), Miami (6:33.373), Notre Dame (6:37.130), Louisville (6:41.380)
Varsity Eight: Syracuse (6:09.814), Virginia (6:15.514), Notre Dame (6:18.877), Duke (6:21.764), Miami (6:23.427), Clemson (6:26.797)

V8
Cox – Caileigh Grimes
S – Emmie Frederico
7 – Ellie-Kate Hutchinson
6 – Alena Criss
5 – Zoe Acosta
4 – Kamile Kralikaite
3 – India Aikens
2 – Aphrodite Gioulekas
B - Izabela Krakic

2V8
Cox – April Serrano
S – Elizabeth Vogt
7 – Kaitlyn Dennis
6 – Olivia Bachert
5 – Lena Radke
4 – Alice McNeill
3 – Charlotte Ebel
2 – Grace Loveridge
B – Mae Sweeney

V4
Cox – Isabelle DeSantis
S – Minaya Bishop
3 – Haley Uliasz
2 – Nora Radke
B – Kelsey Boswell

2V4
Cox – Chloe Van de Meulebroecke
S – Sarah Haney
3 – Lauren Coop
2 – Aicha Abdelaziz
B – Lea Dahn

3V8
Cox – Dana Shearer
S – Annabelle McCulloch
7 – Maddi Segarnick
6 – Maddy Gisby
5 – Emma Cloud
4 – Taylor Lewandowski
3 – Kelly Brown
2 – Georgia Kaufman
B – Cassandra Dasco

Spares
Haley Minnick
Olivia Olsen
Isabelle Sareen (coxswain)

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