North Carolina rowing team sees mixed results in Princeton Chase

The North Carolina rowing team raced four boats in the Princeton Chase on Sunday, placing as high as 12th in one of the two races the team competed in on Lake Carnegie in Princeton, N.J.

What happened?

The first event for the Tar Heels was the first round of the women’s varsity open and lightweight 8+, with the Tar Heels sending four boats into the race out of the total 47 that competed.

Overall, the four UNC boats ranged from the middle of the pack to near the end of the race. In the event, North Carolina’s first varsity eight finished 24th with a total time of 16:22.148, and the second crossed the finish in 16:37.538 to place 31st overall.

Next, was the Tar Heels' third varsity eight placed 39th with a time of 17:13.945, with UNC's final boat finishing in 42nd place after it crossed in 17:27.238.

Of the 28 boats that raced in the second round, the North Carolina second varsity eight finished with a time of 16:44.340, earning a 12th place finish. The second fastest boat for the Tar Heels was the 17th-place first varsity eight with a time of 17:02.378. The North Carolina fourth varsity eight finished in 25th with a time of 18:22.038. Shortly after, the third varsity eight finished in 27th overall with a time of 18:30.076.

Who stood out?

In the second round, the second varsity eight for North Carolina placed 12th out of 28 boats and was the highest placed boat on the day.

The fastest time of the day for the Tar Heels was North Carolina’s first varsity eight that finished with a time of 16:22.148 in the first round.

When was it decided?

In the first round of the women’s varsity open and lightweight 8+, the Tar Heels raced hard the whole time and most of their boats improved as the race went on.

The first varsity eight had a split time of 09:45.190 and managed to climb several spots before its 24th-place finish. The second eight also managed to climb a few spots after their initial split time of 09:51.043 to finish 31st. With a split time of 10:16.100, the third varsity eight jumped up two spots in the latter half of the race. The fourth varsity eight managed to move ahead one spot from its split time to 42nd place.

Why does it matter?

Head coach Sarah Haney said coming into the meet, the Tar Heels were going to use this event as an opportunity to experiment with a variety of lineups in different boats, adding that the lineups will be tweaked more as the season goes on and the team moves forward.

Haney said the team rowed with more confidence and the respect the team has for one another allowed them to work collectively and didn’t disrupt chemistry.

When do they play next?

The Tar Heels will race in the Head of the Hooch meet, their final event of the fall season, on Saturday, Nov. 2, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

@A_ReynoldsDTH

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