By Maegan White
Elm Staff Writer
On Saturday April 22, the Shoremen and Shorewomen traveled to Philadelphia to race against Cabrini University, Stockton College, Bryn Mawr College, and Villanova University to compete in the Upper Schuylkill Challenge. This was the last regular season race and included some of the top competitors the teams will face off next week at the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference Championships.
The Shorewomen 1 Varsity 8+ finished second behind Stockton, who beat the Shorewomen by nearly 11 seconds. This is the first time in recent history that the Shorewomen fell to Stockton.
The Shorewomen’s 2 Varsity 8+ had a top place finish beating Bryn Mawr and Stockton with a time of 8:27.72. This was a crucial win for the Shorewomen moving into MARC’s championships.
The Varsity 4, which was composed predominantly by first years, finished fourth of four boats in their race. Cabrini took first in the race.
Senior Caroline Becker who stroked the 2 Varsity 8+ said “the team has been extremely competitive with other teams in our conference and this weekend we were really able to see where we lined up against other teams. I’m feeling very confident for the Strickland going into MARCs, we were able to show just how strong we are and what we are capable of, even in bad conditions, at Bryn Mawr.”
The Shoremen 1 Varsity 8+ took second finishing, six second behind Villanova. The Shoremen beat third place finisher Stockton by only 2 seconds. Villanova B boat finished fourth.
The Shoremen 1 Varsity 4+ finished third of three boats. Villanova took first and Stockton took second in the race.
On Saturday, April 29, the Shoremen and women will travel to Virginia to compete in the MARC Championships. For the women, the winner of the conference will win a bid to the NCAA championships. For the men, the top three finishes will qualify for the IRA National Championships.
The Shorewomen 2 Varsity 8+ enter the MARCs championships ranked first after beating Stockton University this weekend. The Shorewomen 1 Varsity 8+ enters the championships ranked third behind Stockton and St. Mary’s College.