Fall Rowing Season Ends For Panthers
By Florida Tech // November 12, 2012
Squad Now Prepares For Spring Events
BREVARD COUNTY • FELLSMERE, FLORIDA – Florida Tech wrapped up its fall season by racing in the Florida Intercollegiate Rowing Association Fall Classic on Saturday morning at Canal 54. All eight events were head races meaning boats began in a single line and results were time based.
The Panthers recorded the third-best time in the freshman/novice four and freshman/novice eight.
They posted the sixth-best time in the varsity eight and varsity four. Also competing was Barry, Florida, Jacksonville, Nova Southeastern, Rollins and Stetson.
“The girls put together some good pieces,” Florida Tech head coach Adam Thorstad said. “I’d still like to get faster and will look for the girls to continue to improve over the break. We have some good competition here in the state. We need to keep working if we want to be at the top of the state.”
In the first women’s event, the varsity eight, FIT finished the 2,000-meter course at 12:13. Its Sunshine State Conference counterpart Barry placed first at 11:38.
Competing first for the Crimson and Gray was coxswain Samantha McCuskey, stroke Natalie Miller, Amanda Horbert, Anastasia Stodolski, Taylor Troy, Taylor Woodard,Amber Maiwald, Taylor Barvais and bow Caitlin Wood.
The Panthers’ freshman/novice four then placed third in its event at 14:39. Jacksonville “A” had the best time, finishing at 13:55.
Helping the Panthers earn a top-three finish was stroke Jordan Ursch, Kristen Erickson, Dani Speegle, Hannah Santa Lucia and coxswain Beatriz Saldana.
Following a one-hour break, teams had to go up against a headwind that blew about 10 mph the remainder of the morning.
FIT’s women’s varsity four finished its race at 14:47 to place sixth. Barry “A” emerged as the winner at 13:38. Racing in the event was Horbert, Stodolski, Troy, Woodard and coxswain Emlyn MacKenzie.
In the final race, the freshman/novice eight, coxswain McCuskey, stroke Miller, Wood, Erickson, Speegle, Jessica Hacker, Samantha Martinez, Santa Lucia and bow Ursch came in third at 14:18. Florida “A” took the race with a time of 13:40.
The Panthers will now prepare for their spring championship season, which will begin in March.
