CHERRY HILL, N.J. – With a sweep in the Grand Finals, the Boston University women’s rowing program captured the 2024 Patriot League Championship on Friday (May 17) at the Cooper River.
BU totaled 54 team points to record its first-ever Grand Finals sweep as a Patriot League member, earning its first league title since 2022 and third overall.
Waters remained calm during the morning session despite rain throughout Thursday and overcast skies. There, BU won all three of its morning heats to advance to the Grand Finals. In the afternoon, temperatures climbed into the low 70s, with a slight crosswind and flat waters.
BU’s Varsity 4+, coxed by Kennedy Walker and stroked by Sonya Carson, jumped out to an early lead, nearly by half a length of open water ahead of Navy in second. The Mids closed the gap to about six seats past the 1,000-meter mark, but a strong Terrier push in the final 500 meters handed BU the win in 7:45.819, 3.7 seconds ahead of Navy. For the first time, BU has repeated gold in the Varsity 4+ Grand Final in consecutive years.
In the Second Varsity 8+ Grand Final, coxed by Trisha Jaggi and stroked by Ada Giraldo, the Terriers and MIT jockeyed for the top position throughout the race, but BU slowly built its lead to a full length, crossing the finish line with a time of 6:56.337, just under four seconds over the Engineers. The Terriers have won the Second Varsity 8+ Grand Final for three consecutive years.
The Terriers’ Varsity 8+, coxed by Audrey Lucerne and stroked by Sofia Suhinin, gradually gained seats on Navy and MIT in the first half of the piece. An open-water lead was trimmed to seven seats by the Mids in the final 500 meters, but the Terriers withstood the surge to capture first in 6:42.028, with Navy placing second 3.5 seconds later. Friday marked the first gold for BU in the Varsity 8+ Grand Final since 2017.
Following the races, Director of Women’s Rowing Malcolm Doldron was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year, becoming the third head coach in program history to garner the award. The Varsity 8+ was selected as the Patriot League Boat of the Year.
BU will learn its seeding for the 2024 NCAA Championships with the selection show on Tuesday (May 21) at 5 p.m. The tournament will be held in Bethel, Ohio at East Fork/Harsha Lake from May 31 to June 2.
TEAM STANDINGS
*Navy is named the runner-up with a higher finish in the Varsity 8+ race.
AWARDS
Patriot League Coach of the Year: Malcolm Doldron, Boston University
Patriot League Boat of the Year: Boston University Varsity 8+
RESULTS
Varsity 4+
Heat 1
Grand Final
Second Varsity 8+
Heat 1
Grand Final
Varsity 8+
Heat 1
Grand Final
LINEUPS
Varsity 4+
Cox: Kennedy Walker
Bow: Luisa Reussner
2: Lulu November
3: Aryn Bailey
Stroke: Sonya Carson
Second Varsity 8+
Cox: Trisha Jaggi
Stroke: Ada Giraldo
7: Hannah Look
6: Grace Brown
5: Viktoria Zruttová
4: Sally Thoden
3: Lilly McSweeney
2: Reagan Lynch
Bow: Bianca Saffirio
Varsity 8+
Cox: Audrey Lucerne
Stroke: Sofia Suhinin
7: Mariana Forehand
6: Camilla Silvestri
5: Olivia Bencze
4: Anna Dechantsreiter
3: Ingrid Eshuis
2: Lydia Pelton
Bow: Susan Cook
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