FELLSMERE, Fla.—The Barry University rowing team used a strong finish in the varsity 8 race to claim the SSC Rowing Championship on Saturday morning. The Bucs earned 16 points to take the top spot. Florida Tech took second with 15, while Nova Southeastern finished third with 14 points.
“We are very happy with the results,” head coach Dave Sanderson said. “We’re proud the team stepped it up when they had to.”
The squad earned 12 points for winning the varsity 8 event in a time of 7:14.3. Florida Tech took second in the varsity 8 in 7:17.8 and Nova finished third in 7:28.7. The Buccaneer boat was manned by: cox-Grace Horwitz, stroke-Kelly Harrison, 7-Vanessa Viadero, 6-Rebekah Evans, 5-Brielle Bowers, 4-Jamiee Lampard, 3- Katie Rogers, 2- Summerlin Knipe, bow-Nicki Marek.
“It was a really great race with FIT and Nova Southeastern,” Sanderson said. “We have all the respect for FIT, Nova, and the other schools in our conference. It’s great to see the intense competition within the SSC.”
In the varsity 4+ event, the Bucs (cox- Kadi Karem, stroke-Brianne Misner, 3-renee Forcier, 2-Courtney Greene, bow-Helene Pierre) finished third in 8:50.6. The team earned four points in the event. Nova Southeastern earned the win in the varsity 4+ in 8:19.1 while Florida Tech took second in 8:24.5.
“Although they finished third, they’ve clearly improved over the last month. They raced well and raced hard. I think they’re headed in the right direction,” Sanderson said.
In addition to the varsity races, a novice 4+ race was held. The race did not factor into the final point standings. The Buccaneer squad (cox-Bianca Boada, stroke-Sharnell Lyttle, 3-Michelle Geiger, 2-Consentina James, bow-Elizabeth McNair) finished in third in a time of 9:26.5.
Team co-captains Knipe and Evans were extremely happy with the outcome. “At the beginning of the season, we made it our goal to be SSC Champs. The hard work and effort has paid off,” Knipe said. “It’s so surreal to be SSC Champs. The progress this team has made over the last four years has been amazing and I can’t wait to see how this win propels us into the rest of the season” Evans added.
With the win, the Bucs claim their fourth SSC Championship in school history. Barry took the crown in 1999, 2000, and 2006. Sanderson becomes the second rowing coach to lead the Bucs to the regatta crown.
The Bucs now wait to see if they qualify for the NCAA Championships in Sacramento, Calif. On May 28-30.