Virginia 4th at NCAAs

In Cherry Hill, N.J., the Virginia rowing team’s quest for its first-ever NCAA championship will continue — but there were still plenty of positives coming out this year’s championships.

UVa finished with 78 points — including a second-place finish in the Varsity Eight — to claim fourth place. The runner-up finish for the Varsity Eight tied the highest in program history, besting a third-place finish in 2000. Virginia also finished second in 1999.

As a team, UVa finished in the top four for the eighth time in the 13-year history of the championships, with the program’s all-time top overall finish being second. Stanford was this year’s NCAA Champion with 88 points, followed by California (85) and Yale (85). California edged out Yale for second place by virtue of a better finish in the grand final of the Varsity Eight.

“To finish fourth is a great testament to the resiliency of this team,” said head coach Kevin Sauer.

Virginia’s Varsity Eight, consisting of coxswain Sidney Thorsten, Jennifer Cromwell, Helen Tompkins, Desiree Burns, Amanda Chase, Lauren Hutchins, Augusta Stratos, Nora Phillips and Victoria Burke, put forth a game effort throughout the 2,000-meter race.

Trailing No. 1-ranked Stanford at the halfway point of the race by just under two seconds, UVa pushed to the end and was barely edged by the Cardinal by less than one second at the finish line.

“We knew if we kept in contact with Stanford we would have a chance to win,” said senior co-captain Augusta Stratos. “We are so proud of how we raced.”

Too close to call by sight at the finish line, Stanford was announced minutes after the race ended as the NCAA Champion with a time of 6:11.95. Virginia’s second-place time was 6:12.32, followed by California (6:14.76).

In the Second Varsity Eight, Virginia finished sixth in its grand final with a time of 6:37.17.

Yale won that race with a time of 6:29.04, followed by California (6:29.58), Stanford (6:31.88), Brown (6:32.93) and Washington (6:34.28). The Cavaliers earned 22 points for their sixth-place finish.

Meanwhile, the Varsity Four was won by Clemson with a time of 7:26.78.