PENNSAUKEN, N.J. - The Rollins women's rowing team capped off the Jefferson Dad Vails on Saturday with a silver medal in the WV8.
For the full results, click
here.
Though the number of overall entries was not as large as in years past, the quality of boats in each of the events was much better. Competition was stiff and no crew on the course could let their guard down for a single stroke.
In the race for lanes in the V8 (
Maria Littman,
Kinsley Sparks,
Khloe Smith,
Francesca Morgan-Tomascik,
Olivia Prelog,
Isabella Espino,
Maria Gutierrez,
Justine Hickey) on Friday, Rollins popped an oarlock early in the race which was most of the reason for their slow time. The good thing is their competition had no clue what to expect from them in the Finals. In the final race on Saturday, Mercyhurst got out early and it was a race between Jefferson and Rollins. Rollins took control of the race and never looked back. They made move after move and had a solid lead through the 1000m mark. Once ahead, they never let Jefferson back no matter how many pushes they made. Rollins crossed the line six seconds ahead of Jefferson.
Rollins was ecstatic with this finish and began to row back to the dock when they were stopped and told to head to the award dock. A silver medal was hung around each of the athletes necks putting a great end to the weekend but possibly not their season. Their performance along with the performance of the other two women's boats has kept the suspense alive as the team waits to see if they earn a bid to the NCAAs. The selection show takes place Tuesday May 21st. Rollins has done all they can at this point and must wait on next weekends DII racing out west to see if their speed is enough for that bid.
Thank you to our four seniors (
Isabella Espino,
Justine Hickey,
Emily Quezada,
Nina Nikolic, and
Grace Oelrich) for their commitment to the team and the legacy they have left. They add to the long history of rowers who have come through this program and they will be missed.
Thank you again for everyone's support throughout this season and we look forward to the adventures of 2024-2025.
