CHERRY HILL, N.J. – The George Mason University women's rowing team gained a wealth of experience in the important heat/final racing format during a nice spring tune-up at the Cooper Invitational on Sunday.
 
Mason improved on its times from morning to afternoon in two of three boats. And for many of the younger student-athletes experiencing a heat/final format for the first time, the event
 
"I think this was a really productive learning experience for the team," head coach Joseph Richards said. "I was looking forward to the opportunity to put together two 2Ks on a fair course in good conditions against really good competition. We were able to do that today and all of our crews were able to learn from the experience in one way or another."
 
The Varsity 8+ opened the day for the Green & Gold with a time of 7:18.10 to finish third in the opening heat. In the petite final, Mason improved upon that time by two seconds while earning a strong third-place finish out of six teams.
 
"The Varsity 8+ put together a good effort in their first race," Richards said. "We talked about it, tweaked our race plan a bit and went out and had a faster race in the afternoon. We learned from the heat and got better in the final, which is great to see."
 
The Second Varsity 8+ placed fourth in its opening heat (8:06.14), then battled some difficult elements in the petite final while finishing in 8:13.28.
 
The Second Varsity 8+ had a so so first race," Richards said. "They had an equipment malfunction in their second race that kind of denied them the oppoirtunity to have a really competitive showing the second time around. That was a bit unfortunate. We were able to learn something from the experience. We learned how to handle ourselves through heat/final formats for a crew which is quite young."
 
The Varsity 4+ was last up for Mason. The crew placed fifth in its heat (9:19.37), but improved upon that time by more than 10 seconds (9:08.63) in a strong second race for the Green & Gold.
 
"The Varsity 4+ was able to make strides in its second race," Richards said. "They're young, so this is their first time in a heat and final format for them. It was really useful and productive for them to get through it."
 
Mason now returns to Fairfax Station to host the annual Mason Invite on Sunday (April 14).
 
RESULTS
Varsity 8+ - Heat Two
1. Marist – 7:05.45
2. Duquesne – 7:10.85
3. George Mason – 7:18.10
4. Fairfield – 7:26.06
 
Varsity 8+ - Petite Final
1. Dayton – 7:06.29
2. Canisius – 7:10.78
3. George Mason – 7:16.12
4. Loyola (Md.) – 7:22.05
5. Fairfield – 7:24.94
6. Robert Morris – 7:27.77
 
Second Varsity 8+ - Heat 1
1. Marist – 7:27.43
2. Duquesne – 7:42.27
3. Robert Morris – 7:45.03
4. George Mason – 8:06.64
5. Canisius – 8:13.61
 
Second Varsity 8+ - Petite Final
1. Dayton – 7:37.18
2. Duquesne – 7:41.65
3. Robert Morris – 7:43.99
4. Canisius – 7:50.47
5. Fairfield – 7:58.04
6. George Mason – 8:13.28
 
Varsity 4+ - Heat 1
1. Delaware – 8:33.96
2. Duquesne – 8:42.12
3. Eastern Michigan – 8:48.10
4. Robert Morris – 9:01.04
5. George Mason – 9:19.37
6. Loyola (Md.) – 9:40.63
 
Varsity 4+ - Petite Final
1. Eastern Michigan – 8:33.99
2. Dayton – 8:46.50
3. Robert Morris – 8:55.03
4. George Mason – 9:08.63
5. Loyola (Md.) – 9:09.39
 
BOAT LINEUPS
Varsity 8+
Cox Kathleen Lackatos
S Maria Justiniano
7 Emma Puckett
6 Elizabeth Johnson
5 Bailey Price
4 Chelsea Cluck
3 Xander Huffman
2 Hannah Sawn
B Nida Peleda
 
Second Varsity 8+
Cox Paige Hansbury
S Kate Adams
7 Laila Salem
6 Marie Michael
5 Emily Engdahl
4 Caroline Larson
3 Clarissa Montes
2 Casey Balogh
B Olivia Garcia
 
Varsity 4+
S Shannon Somers
3 Denise Gormley
2 Sofia Chapin
B Talia Winstead