NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion rowing kicked off the spring season by defeating George Mason in the 2017 opening regatta on the Lafayette River in Norfolk, Va. The Lady Monarchs won all the races of the day by at least nine seconds or more over the Patriots.
The day started with the first Varsity 4+ boats for a 2,000 meter sprint down the Lafayette River. The Lady Monarchs held the advantage all the way down the river finishing with a time of 8:41.8, a full 30 seconds faster than their competition in the Patriots (9:11.4).
In the second heat of the day, ODU again cruised to victory in the first Varsity 8+ boats. The Silver and Blue finished the 2,000 meter sprint with a time of 7:07.0, while the Green and Gold of Mason finished 21 seconds later with a time of 7:28.8.
The second Varsity 8+ boats followed the first V8+ in the third heat of the morning. ODU finished with a time of 7:31.3 while Mason's boat crossed the line at the 8:02.2 mark.
In the fourth 2,000 meter event the second Varsity 4+ boats came down the stretch of the Lafayette with ODU leading the way again. The second V4+ boat for the Lady Monarchs finished less than a second slower than the 1st V4+ boat with a time of 8:42.6.
After the 2,000 meter races, four 1,000 meter practice heats took place between the two squads. Old Dominion won the addition four races that took place right in front of the family, friends, faculty & staff, and ODU rowing aluma that gathered on Mayflower Road to cheer on the team.
Following the races, Head Coach Daniel Garbutt invited families and friends to join the team and coaching staff at the ODU Rowing Facility where the 2017 senior class was recognized for their hard work in helping grow the program.
"From the moment they walked in the door, they've been impacting the environment here," said Coach Garbutt. "In terms of increasing the speed, increasing the competitiveness, increasing the team chemistry. Every single year they've experienced another step. Another evolution of the program. Whether it is the intensity of our competition or the conference that we've been a part of, they stepped in the door and they took te challenge from the first day."
Official Results
Race 1 – 1st V4+ (2K) – ODU, 8:41.8; GMU 9:11.4
(Jameela Lamb, Brooke Ripley, Abigail Bingham, Margaret Fluharty)
Race 2 – 1st V8+ (2K) – ODU, 7:07.0; GMU, 7:28.8
(Monique McNealy (cox), Taylor Phy, Shannon La Sala, Kara Stephan, Kennedy Stafford, Courtney Moore, Monica Jory, Carlie Cohen, Raven Woody)
Race 3 – 2nd V8+ (2K) – ODU, 7:31.3; GMU, 8:02.2
(Ave McFadden (cox), May Williamson, Danielle Yoxthimer, Alexa Williams, Victoria Thies, Francesca Gonzalez, Erin Welsh, Emily Hughes, Sabrina Paulsen)
Race 4 – 2nd V4+ (2K) – ODU, 8:42.6; GMU, 10:06.7
(Madeline Doherty, Irena Tobola, Aliyah Rivers, Chelsea Jacobs)
Additional Practice Race Results
Race 5 – 1st V4+ (1K) – ODU, 3:11.7; GMU, 3:21.5
Race 6 – 1st V8+ (1K) – ODU, 2:40.6; GMU, 2:49.3
Race 7 – 2nd V8+ (1K) – ODU, 2:43.1; GMU, 2:55.0
Race 8 – 2nd V4+ (1K) – ODU. 3:20.2; GMU, 4:05.6
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