Cherry Hill, NJ - The Stetson rowing teams headed north this weekend to compete in the Knecht Cup. After unsafe water conditions on Saturday, all racing was pushed to Sunday. All races were on the Cooper River.
The Knecht Cup Regatta is named in memory of William J. Knecht, who had a passion for the sport of rowing, during his time as a rower he won several national titles and gold medals. Knecht was the creator of the rowing course on the Cooper River. The Knecht Cup brings in teams from all across the nation and has been a tradition for 20 years.
"I was reminded this weekend why spring racing in the northeast is tough; the weather is terrible. Saturday racing was canceled due to high winds. The LOC did their best to get everyone at least one race. The progressions may not have been ideal, but we had the opportunity to qualify for a final and finished short of that," said Stetson head coach
Jamie Francis.
The women's team raced in the varsity 4+, first varsity 8+ and second varsity 8+. The Hatter men's team competed in the men's varsity 8+, varsity 2 and the men's single.
The women's varsity 4+, came across the line with a time of 8:24.66 in heat 2. The time bested the West Point boat and was just behind the boat from Connecticut. The first varsity 8+ rowed a time of 6:55.75 for fourth place in heat 1. The Hatters were less than two seconds behind Fordham and almost thirty seconds faster than Dayton's boat.Â
The second varsity 8+ for Stetson finished with a time of 7:19.37 in heat 2 coming across fourth, they were barely beaten by LaSalle who finished with a time of 7:15.20 in the race.
On the men's side,
Gary Rought raced in the single event. Rought was in heat 2 coming and came across the line second in the heat with a time of 7:55.80 to earn second in the heat. Rought would end up earning a bronze medal. The varsity pair of Furton and Hogan finished in second behind Oklahoma City as they rowed a time of 7:23.27 earning them a silver medal. The Varsity 8+ for the Hatters came in third in heat 1 with a time of 6:00.31 beating out Embry-Riddle and West Point.
"The reason we come to this race is to see tough racing and the regatta did not disappoint. Credit to Gary for his bronze in the single and Chris & Ethan for their silver in the pair. We have some work to do and not much time left to do it. Nothing like some last minute cramming to prepare for the final," said Francis.
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Up Next:
The men's team will head to Oak Ridge Tennessee to race in the SIRA Regional Championship Regatta April 20-21, while the women will have some time off as they prepare for the MAAC Championship on May 19th.
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS.
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