Women's Rowing | 9/29/2014 11:08:00 AM

ITHACA, NY -  Eight Tiger oarswomen and one alumnus competed in Ithaca College's second annual Cayuga Sculling Sprints on Sunday for the first time. The event is to promote women's sculling and racing, affording the opportunity for experienced and new scullers to abandon their sweep oars for the day and take on the challenge and excitement of holding a scull in each hand. Scullers from Ithaca College, Colgate University, and RIT raced in a 2,000-meter time trial in the morning and a 1,000-meter sprint in the afternoon. Weather conditions were ideal with sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 70's. The Cayuga Inlet remained flat for competitive racing.
 
Racing categories included coxed quads, singles, and doubles. RIT scullers competed in four double sculls named "Eenie, Meenie, Minee, and Moe" with alumna Nicole Conway (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) racing in her lightweight single dubbed, "Slow Twitch." The morning time trial results placed the RIT doubles and single in 7th, 9th, 10th, 12th, and 14th positions respectively, out of a field of 14 boats. Based on these results RIT scullers were paired with opposing crews for the afternoon sprint.
 
Scullers in the Meenie, Arielle Weinstein (Athens, NY/Coxsackie-Athens) and Brittany Dzugas-Smith (West Babylon, NY/Landmark) finished with RIT's fastest double combined time (the 2,000-meter time trial added to the 1,000-meter sprint) for a final result of 17:07.2, placing them 7th overall in the field. Weinstein and Dzugas-Smith raced RIT's Eenie scullers, Laura Alderfer (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge High School) and Lindsey Schwartz (Rochester, NY/Gates-Chili) in the 1,000-meter sprint, winning in a time of 4:16.7 to 4:32.1. Alderfer and Schwartz finished with a combined time of 17:41.1, placing them 9th overall.
 
Tiger scullers Taylor Blackwell (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Sutherland) and Sarah Foggett (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) rowing in the Minee raced a Colgate single sculler in the 1k sprint, finishing second in a time of 4:34.5. Their combined time placed them 12th overall. Scullers Chelsea Coates (Sanborn/Niagara Wheatfield) and Phoebe Hurd (Raymond, ME/Windham) rowing in the Moe raced a lightweight Ithaca sculler in a tight race, finishing second in a time of 4:37.2. Their combined time placed them 14th overall.
 
RIT alumna, Nicole Conway (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) '14, who now resides in Ithaca, raced an Ithaca open sculler in the afternoon sprint, and finished second in a time of 4:29.9. Conway finished 10th overall in a time of 17:55.7, but was the top lightweight single sculler for the day, earning her a gold medal.
 
Women's Varsity Coach Cassidy Goepel was thrilled about the day and commented, "Today RIT women made history in a first time event for our program. I am extremely proud of these girls and how they raced today. I think I was more nervous than they were. The technique and racing skills they are learning in the sculls will definitely pay off down the road. I am seeing their confidence build every day. These scullers are becoming mentally tough and physically stronger. I can't wait for the spring because this experience will add to our speed."
 
Next up for the Tigers is the Head of the Genesee on Saturday, October 4.