For national Division I women's crew powerhouse Virginia, a win over Division III Williams should have been routine. But on Saturday, in their last home regatta of the season, the Cavaliers were thrown for a loop.
Early-morning storms left the racing side of the Rivanna Reservoir littered with logs and other debris, forcing race officials to move the competition to the other side of the reservoir. As a result, the boats had to navigate a tight turn on the way to the finish line instead of enjoying a straight course.
"It's hard not racing a straight course," Virginia junior Lauren Mitterer said. "We're used to racing a straight course and it's hard, especially with the staggered finish. ... It probably made [the race] more even. We're used to racing the back end course, and they're not."
If that were not enough, Virginia coach Kevin Sauer changed the Cavaliers' boat lineups right before the competition began. After frustrating defeats to national elites Michigan and Ohio State on March 24, Sauer wanted to shake things up and experiment against a slower opponent.
But despite all these complications and surprises, the Cavaliers persevered and won all their races against Williams.
"They were a lot tougher than we expected, I think," Mitterer said. "They gave us a good fight, but we came together at the end."
Mitterer said the Virginia rowers tried to block out the distractions so that they could approach the race like any other.
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"We decided we weren't going to let the lineups affect how we rowed, and we decided to just be tough and take anything we got," Mitterer said. "We didn't know how the race was going to go."
The new lineups actually seemed to help Virginia as both the first and second varsity eight beat the Ephs in the first 2,000-meter race. With the Cavalier first varsity eight comfortably in the lead at the 1,500-meter mark, Virginia's second varsity eight battled with Williams' varsity eight for second place. The Cavalier boat made a late move to pull ahead of the Ephs and earn a second-place finish with a time of 6 minutes, 15.3 seconds. The Virginia first varsity eight won easily with a 6:12.8, and Williams finished a distant third after crossing the finish line in 6:18.5.
"I thought they did very well," Sauer said. "I was pleased that the second varsity was also able to beat [Williams]. It was a good sign."
The Cavalier third varsity eight (6:28.6) completed Virginia's sweep in the varsity races by defeating the Williams second varsity eight (6:31.3) in the next race.
The Cavaliers also won the novice race as Virginia's novice eight finished 15.3 seconds ahead of the Eph novice eight boat. A mixed boat of Virginia and Williams novices finished 3.3 seconds behind the Eph boat.
Sauer said that he plans on keeping the new lineups for the San Diego classic next weekend because he wants more time to assess the new Virginia boats. He believes that the rowers need time to adjust to the new boats before they can peak.
"With a new lineup, it's hard to really see [improved times], because [the rowers] didn't really get into a groove," Sauer said. "It's a brand new lineup, so getting into a groove is a little hard to do."
When they do find their groove, the Cavaliers hope that a wave of success will follow.
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