SIRA Regatta Ends With First Place Finish

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - The University of Tampa competed at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) Regatta with three boats finishing in top positions across the board.

Saturday's racing began early in the Novice 4+ consisting of Ashia Bales, Bridget Hickey, Madeline Pelon, Alice Rodgers, and coxswain Lauren Head. The Spartans placed second in the heat (8:31.70) advancing to the semifinal round later in the afternoon with a fourth place finish (8:18.70). Despite completing two races within hours of each other, the novice boat managed to drop a full 13 seconds off their time landing them a spot in the B Final on Sunday morning.

The Varsity 4+ continued the momentum by placing second (8:13.81) in their preliminary heat of the day and advancing to the semi-final. Rowers in the Varsity 4+ included Taylor DeMesa, Megan Richardson, Kaitlyn Goff, and Kristin Anderson with coxswain Carley Donovan. The Spartans took the course again later in the day to place fifth (8:22.90) claiming their lane in the B Final.

The Spartan Varsity Lightweight 4+ consisting of Melissa Ciesielski, Mary Lee Gibson, Rhianna Seferian, Meagan Hoffman, and coxswain Teresa Hilbig did not see any action in the semi-final races on Saturday due to a last minute lineup change.

Spartan rowers dominated their finals on Sunday morning. The success began with the Novice 4+ placing first with a time of 8:21.60 over Miami University of Ohio in second (8:26.43) and Purdue University in third (8:27.30). The Varsity 4+ finished in second with a time of 8:03.00 behind George Washington University (8:00.03), improving their time by 19.90 seconds.

The Lightweight Varsity 4+ brought home the title for the University of Tampa, placing first in the Grand Final with a time of 8:05.40. The Spartans began the race in third place but managed to claim the lead by the end of 2,000 meters over Liberty University (8:07.90) in second and Stetson University (8:21.00) in third. Tampa last one this race over 10 years ago in 2001.

The Spartans return to action on April 26 at the 2013 Sunshine State Conference Championships at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Fla.

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