2011 Big East Championship

story courtesy of SU Athletics

photo is from competition in Boston, MA.

WEST WINDSON, N.J. – The Syracuse University women’s rowing team finished fourth with 73 points at the 2011 BIG EAST Rowing Championship on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J. Notre Dame won its eighth-consecutive championship with 114 points. The varsity third was SU’s best finish, placing third. All four of the Syracuse crews advanced to their respective Grand Finals with second place finishes in their preliminary heats.

Junior Emma Karpowicz was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team and graduate student Chelsea Macpherson was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team.

“I actually thought the crew rowed to the level that their level of training would indicate. They executed what they practiced fairly well. The varsity eight race was the most competitive BIG EAST Grand Final in the history of the event, with five boats in much of the race with the separation occurring in the last 500 meters,” head coach Justin Moore said. “We are disappointed about finishing fifth (in the varsity eight), but we are very excited knowing that this is just the first step and we are going to be a lot better. That race also showed that the BIG EAST is developing into a very competitive conference heading into our NCAA automatic bid year (2013).”

The Syracuse varsity eight finished fifth, ahead of West Virginia, crossing the finish line in 6:51.12. Louisville won the varsity eight in 6:40.00. The Orange varsity eight posted a time of 7:02.31 in its preliminary heat. Norte Dame won the heat in 6:56.50.The Mountaineers finished third and Connecticut fourth.

The Orange second varsity eight placed fourth, in front of Connecticut and Rutgers, with a time of 6:59.83. North Dame won the second varsity eight in 6:49.10. The Syracuse second varsity eight recorded a time of 7:16.01 in its preliminary heat. Louisville won the heat in 7:12.10. The Scarlet Knights placed third and Villanova fourth.

SU’s varsity four finished third, ahead of Georgetown, Connecticut and West Virginia, crossing the line in 7:49.41. The Fighting Irish also won the varsity four in 7:31.36. SU’s varsity four registered a time of 8:18.64 in its preliminary heat. ND won the heat in 7:50.91. The Mountaineers were third and Rutgers fourth.

The Syracuse third varsity eight placed fifth, in front of Rutgers, with a time of 7:33.82. Notre Dame took home the third varsity eight race as well in 7:03.24.The Orange third varsity eight crossed the line in 7:47.11 in its preliminary heat. The Irish won the heat in 7:22.21. The Scarlet Knights finished third.

The Orange is the only other team besides Notre Dame to claim a title, winning the BIG EAST Challenge three-straight times from 2001-2003. Notre Dame has taken home every BIG EAST women’s rowing title since 2004, giving the team the longest current active streak of BIG EAST Championship titles in any sport.

SU returns to action on Sunday, May 15 at the Eastern Sprints in Camden, N.J.