PENNSAUKEN TOWNSHIP, N.J. – Jacksonville University women's rowing returned to the MAAC Championships and battled while shorthanded in the Grand Finals in all three entries on Sunday at Cooper River Park.
 
The Dolphins finished runners-up in the 1st Varsity 4+ and the 2nd Varsity 8+ Grand Final and took home third in the 1st Varsity 8+ Final to finish second overall as a team in the event.
 
"We waited two years for this opportunity to race and I could not be prouder of the effort our athletes put forward," said Head Coach/Director of Rowing Mike Lane. "Considering the challenges we have dealt with the last two weeks, I was pleasantly surprised."
 
"That being said, I am very sad for those nine athletes who were unable to compete due to COVID-19, with three of them being seniors who were unable to finish off their JU careers on the water."
 
The day started with all three boats winning heats to advance to the Grand Finals. The Varsity 4+ got things off on the right foot by besting the four other entries in the first race of the day, winning by 19.174 seconds. The 2nd Varsity 8+ followed that up with a 9.056 margin of victory in its prelim and the 1st Varsity 8+ came home first as well, winning its heat by 3.402 seconds.
 
In the afternoon, the Dolphins came up just short in the 1st Varsity 4+ Grand Final, coming in second to Marist by 2.104 seconds. The 2nd Varsity 8+ crossed just after Marist as well, with the final margin just 5.022 seconds. The 1st Varsity 8+ came in third in an extremely close race for the gold, just 6.574 seconds dividing the top three boats in the final.
 
Jacksonville concludes its season, one that was challenging from start to finish, but take away positives to build on again for next year when the team can return to a full schedule and work towards reclaiming a MAAC Championship again next spring.
 
"The last 14 months have taught us how to deal with true adversity, and watching how our athletes step up to fill the gaps gives me great promise for our future," said Lane. "Bring on 2022!"
 
Full lineups and results:
 
1st Varsity 8+ - Heat: 6:52.934 (1st), Final: 6:47.848 (3rd)
Cox – Meredith Sprague
8 – Calie Miller
7 – Sara Miller
6 – Amanda Sampo
5 – Ginger Hubbard
4 – Victoria Healey
3 – Ciara Devenuto-Wyeth
2 – Gabby Huxtable
1 – Sofia Cooper
 
2nd Varsity 8+ - Heat: 7:04.715 (1st), Final:7:03.556 (2nd)
Cox – Hannah Gagnon
8 – Ava Gerlach
7 – Emma Schulok
6 – Madison Santa Barbara
5 – Aydan Jordan
4 – Katy Kost
3 – Hannah Williams
2 – Marissa Guckin
1 – Isabella Miletich
 
1st Varsity 4+ - Heat: 8:13.210 (1st), Final: 8:00.146 (2nd)
Cox – Emily Pineda
4 – Ireland Johnson
3 – Emily Muller
2 – Mackenzie Turinsky
1 – Sarah Frasier