Knecht Cup Race Central | Full Schedule

FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason University women's rowing team will be challenged against a strong field this weekend at the annual Knecht Cup in Mercer, N.J.
 
The Patriots will face off against a number of talented crews in the team's toughest race leading up to the 2018 A-10 Championship and Dad Vail Regatta.
 
The Knecht Cup traditionally draws some of the fastest schools in the region and this year is no exception," head coach Ted Nagorsen said. "The field is very deep. Traditionally in this race, the course can get windy and choppy, so we're hoping to get some good, hard racing in."
 
Competition in the regatta begins Saturday morning. Mason's Varsity 4+ begins the day with its opening heat at 8:34 a.m. The Patriots will race against boats from Boston University, Harvard, Connecticut, Miami and Temple. Semifinal action will occur later in the day, with all three finals to be raced on Sunday.
 
Mason's Varsity 8+ is up next at 9:54 a.m. The Patriots will be in a heat featuring Penn, which is receiving votes in the top-25. In addition, George Washington, Holy Cross and Boston College will join the Patriots in the race. The top-3 boats in the race will qualify for Sunday's Grand Final, while at-large final spots also will be on the line.
 
The Second Varsity 8+ will follow soon after at 10:26 a.m. in a race that pits the Green & Gold against Connecticut, Boston College and Penn, among others.
 
The Third Varsity 8+ concludes the morning portion of Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Saturday afternoon will semifinal action in the Varsity 8+ and Varsity 4+ sections, while Sunday is reserved for the finals (grand, petit and third).
 
Mason is coming off a weekend regatta in the nation's capital. At the GW Invite/George Cup on April 6-7, the Patriot boats struggled in Friday competition, before rebounding with a number of strong efforts on Saturday.
 
The Second Varsity 8+ led the way. On the 2000m course, the Patriots finished in a time of 6:47.60, well ahead of Dayton (6:56.80) and not far behind Georgetown LWT (6:42.80).
 
Mason's Varsity 4+ also defeated Dayton, coming across the finish line at 7:57, nearly 20 seconds ahead of the Flyers (8:16.90). Georgetown LWT finished first in 7:17.40. Mason's Varsity 8+ finished third in 6:44.00, just narrowly behind Dayton (6:43.00). Georgetown LWT won the race in 6:27.90.
 
The Third Varsity 8+ boat finished third with a time of 7:50.20, behind Saint Joseph's (6:31.80) and George Washington (6:43.30).
 
Now, the Patriots will hope to harness that positive momentum as they enter the home stretch of the 2018 schedule.
 
"There's going to be some fierce competition," Nagorsen said. "We're looking to get our boats overlapping with others and learn a little bit more about our depth as a team. We'll see if we can produce speed when we need to produce speed on the water."

LINEUPS
Varsity 8+
B- Nicole Van Oort
2- Nida Peleda
3- Megan Gooding
4- Maria Justiniano
5- Caitlin Mahoney
6- Taylor Williams
7- Anne Graf
S- Elizabeth Rush
C – Kathleen Lackatose

Second Varsity 8+ 
B - Emily Holt
2 - Caroline Larson
3 - Katelyn James
4 - Emily Egdahl
5 - Anna Close
6 - Xander Huffman
7 - Leah Gillespie
S - Elizabeth Johnson
C - Fabriana Velasquez

Third Varsity 8+
B - Brooke Malota
2 - Denise Gormley
3 - Rachel Cappetta
4 - Katelyn Raney
5 - Jasmine Nivar
6 - Shelby Sternberg
7 - Hannah Sawn
S - Olivia Wolf
C - Kate Adams

Varsity 4+ 
B - Sarah Ward
2 - Brianna Burke
3 - Corinne Morrow
4 - Chelsea Cluck
C - Elizabeth Tubb