Rowing Has Two Podium Finishes To Highlight Knecht Cup Racing

Saturday, April 13

Cooper River, N.J.

University of Delaware

Knecht Cup

Rowing Has Two Podium Finishes To Highlight Knecht Cup Racing

4/14/2024 6:20:00 PM | Rowing

Results Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

CHERRY HILL, N.J. - University of Delaware rowing competed strongly at the Knecht Cup in New Jersey this past weekend, the team's fourth race of the spring. Among the teams present were CAA Conference members Connecticut, Eastern Michigan, Monmouth, and Villanova.

HEN HIGHLIGHTS

In the Freshmen/Novice 4+, the Blue Hens dominated from wire to wire in the second of three heats. They finished with a time of 8:33.05, over 23 seconds ahead of the field. Their time earned them third place overall, just 0.15 seconds behind the second-fastest time which was posted by Lafayette in a different heat. The fastest overall time was also posted in another heat by Wisconsin.
Racing in the first of two heats, the Second Varsity 4+ got out ahead of the field in the first quarter of the race and held off a battle from Fordham to finish their heat in first place with a time of 8:11.49. They were also 19.31 seconds ahead of CAA competitor Connecticut. Their time secured a third-place overall finish, just 0.86 seconds shy of the second-place time posted by Jacksonville in a different heat, which was won by Boston University.
The Second Varsity 8+ progressed to the afternoon final after decidedly winning their heat in the morning, including finishing ahead of CAA competitor Monmouth by 21.81 seconds. The final proved to be one of the most exciting races of the day, with multiple lead changes across the field. MIT pulled a length ahead and left a three-boat spar for spots on the podium between Delaware, Massachusetts, and Boston University. Ultimately, the Blue Hens finished in fourth with a time of 6:59.68, with just 1.23 seconds separating second from fourth. CAA competitor Connecticut finished in fifth, 8.23 seconds behind Delaware.
In the morning, the Varsity 4+ finished first in their heat by open water with a time of 7:43.89 to earn a spot in the final. They finished 47.09 seconds ahead of CAA competitor Eastern Michigan. Later in the day in the final, they finished fourth with a solid performance in a time of 7:53.89.
Against a competitive field, the Varsity 8+ finished third in their heat in 6:58.65, behind Jacksonville and Ithaca.
The Freshmen/Novice 8+ finished fourth in their heat with a time of 8:41.36.
The Third Varsity 8+ experienced equipment failure in the warm-up area. Because of the condensed format, the race was not rescheduled, so the Blue Hens did not race.

Following the racing, alumni were recognized and nine graduating seniors were celebrated in a ceremony that included family, friends, and Blue Hen fans.

NOTES

Originally planned to be a two-day event with heats, semifinals, and multi-level finals, racing was canceled on Saturday because of high winds.
Sunday's condensed schedule left progressions from heats to one final for only the Varsity 8+, Second Varsity 8+, and Varsity 4+. The remaining races were raced as heats, with overall finishes determined by times across all heats. A cross wind built through the day, with variable gusts up to 20mph.