Sarasota, Fla. (Apr. 11, 2009) - Nova Southeastern University's rowing team won its first-ever FIRA Women's Team Championship after posting a total of six victories at the two-day regatta.
"It is the first-time in program history in which we have won the FIRA Championship," said head coach John Gartin. "For us to win the championship over the other teams is a mark of distinction for the program and shows how much hard work the girls have put in. It was the icing on the cake for us at the regatta."
In the Sharks' only final on Friday, NSU won the Freshman/Novice 4 "B" race with a time of 6:45.3. The boat of coxswain Heather Clayton (Fr., Mullica Township, N.J.), Megan Kim (Jr., Valrico, Fla.), Ericka Wenzke (Fr., Sarasota, Fla.), Carolina Ricchi (Jr., Dania Beach, Fla.) and Kati Corp (Fr., East Grand Rapids, Tenn.) beat out Florida, Rollins, Jacksonville, Stetson and Florida State en route to the victory.
On Saturday morning, NSU got started with a win in the Varsity 8. The boat of Marissa Stickles (So., Jacksonville, Fla.), Rachel Garbaj (Sr., Valrico, Fla.), Amber Bishko (Sr., Orlando, Fla.), Megankate McDonald (Sr., Egg Harbor Township, N.J.), Cindy Fong (Sr., Miami, Fla.), Samantha Moriarty (So., Satellite Beach, Fla.), Kayla Schock (Fr., Roswell, Ga.), Elizabeth Hurley (So., Syracuse, N.Y.) and Emma Jordan (Fr., Sebastian, Fla.) posted a winning time of 6:18.9. They crossed the finish line ahead of Jacksonville, Georgia Tech, Florida Tech, Florida and Rollins.
"The Varsity 8 had one of their best races of the season," said Gartin. "With the flat water and their consistent and confident strokes, they looked awesome."
NSU then recorded its final four wins during Saturday afternoon's racing. In their first race of the afternoon, the Sharks won the JV 4 with a time of 7:01.6. The boat of coxswain Clayton, Lauren McElhenny (Sr., Egg Harbor Township, N.J.), Claire Kurlychek (Fr., Land O'Lakes, Fla.), Ashley Lofria (So., Chesapeake, Va.) and Jessica Sutter (Fr., Miami Beach, Fla.) cruised across the finish line ahead of Jacksonville, Florida, Georgia Tech, Stetson and Florida "B".
"The JV 4 team that raced is also our V2 4 team," said Gartin. "They had a fantastic race, showing real speed. They got out on the field early and took control of the race."
With the boat of coxswain Stickles, Schock, Ivana Gagula (Fr., Boca Raton, Fla.), Jordan and Natalie Chaiser (Jr., Plantation, Fla.) in the Varsity Lightweight 4, NSU edged out Stetson to win the race with a time of 7:17.8.
"The Lightweight 4 was possibly the most exciting race of the entire regatta," said Gartin. "We came back from almost a boat's length behind with 100 meters left to win out the race. Their finish set the tone for the remainder of our afternoon races."
The Freshman/Novice 4 finished in a race-winning time of 7:07.8 in its six-boat race. Competing for the Sharks were coxswain Clayton, Sutter, Christie McElhenny (Fr., Egg Harbor Township, N.J.), Bridget Musto (Fr., Syracuse, N.Y.) and Kurlycheck.
NSU concluded the day with a win in the Varsity 4A. The boat of coxswain Stickles, Garbaj, Bishko, McDonald, and Fong posted a winning time of 6:38.0
NSU returns to the water for the three-day SIRA Championships in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Race Results
Women's Freshman/Novice 4+ B
NSU - 6:45.3
Florida - 7:05.2
Rollins - 7:05.6
Jacksonville - 7:12.6
Stetson - 7:27.8
Florida State - 7:33.2
Women's Varsity 8 Final
NSU - 6:18.9
Jacksonville - 6:23.0
Georgia Tech - 6:23.8
Florida Tech - 6:28.3
Florida - 6:29.3
Rollins - 6:29.8
Women's 2x
Stetson - 7:15.1
Georgia Tech - 7:40.5
NSU - 7:49.2
South Florida - 7:53.0
Tampa - 8:10.3
Florida Tech - 8:52.7
Florida - 10:35.7
Women's 2- Jacksonville - 7:46.8
Rollins - 7:53.5
Florida Tech - 7:56.4
Stetson - 8:09.3
Georgia Tech - 8:13.4
NSU - 8:15.5
CFR - 8:17.8
Women's Freshman/Novice 8 Georgia Tech - 6:18.3
NSU - 6:24.4
Jacksonville - 6:32.1
Florida - 6:33.7
Stetson - 6:42.2
Florida State - 6:47.1
Rollins "B" - 6:52.8
Women's JV 4+
NSU - 7:01.6
Jacksonville - 7:12.5
Stetson - 7:19.3
Florida "B" - 7:19.9
Georgia Tech - 7:32.4
Florida "A" - 7:53.7
Women's Varsity Lightweight 4+
NSU - 7:17.8
Stetson - 7:18.1
Tampa - 7:34.2
Georgia Tech - 7:38.0
Women's Freshman/Novice 4+ Final
NSU - 7:07.8
Florida Tech - 7:13.3
FSU "A" - 7:16.4
Rollins - 7:16.9
Jacksonville - 7:22.3
FSU "B" - 7:41.6
Women's 2nd 4+
Florida - 7:03.5
Georgia Tech - 7:14.4
NSU - 7:23.1
Rollins - 7:27.1
Women's Varsity 4+
NSU - 6:38.0
Stetson - 6:42.4
Jacksonville - 6:43.2
Georgia Tech - 6:56.4
Rollins - 6:58.9
Florida - 7:04.7
Women's Team Points Totals
NSU - 106.5
Jacksonville - 76.5
Stetson - 26.5
Florida Tech - 22
Florida - 21.25
Rollins - 15.25
Florida State - 7
Tampa - 4.5
