NCAA rowers make a splash at Nathan Benderson Park
The NCAA Rowing Championships will finish Sunday morning, and two area rowers will be in the action.
By
Ryan Kohn
| 3:02 p.m. May 29, 2021
East County
Sports
Share
The Division I portion of the NCAA Rowing Championships began Saturday at Nathan Benderson Park.Â
The action was fast and fierce, as a crowd of approximately 1,500 spectators cheered on the elite athletes on the water. Saturday's races were semifinal races, positioning teams for the finals races on Sunday.
Two former Sarasota Crew rowers will be in action on Sunday. Julia Braz, a Riverview High grad, will be in the No. 7 seat in Stanford University's II 8+ boat, which finished second in its A/B semifinal heat (06:13.27) on Saturday, two seconds behind Texas. Braz and her teammates will be in the event's A final. Like Braz, Riverview High grad Angela Szabo will be in the No. 7 seat in the University of California's II 8+ boat, which finished fourth in its A/B semifinal heat (6:22.80). Szabo and her teammates will be in the B final on Sunday. Both Braz and Szabo are freshmen at their respective schools.Â
Rebekah Stewart, who grew up in west Bradenton and attended Manatee High, is also in the championships, rowing in the No. 1 seat for the University of Alabama's I 8+ boat. Stewart's boat finished fifth in its Saturday heat (6:28.45) and will compete in the B final Sunday.Â
Action resumes at 8:12 a.m. Sunday. A full schedule of the day's races, plus heat sheets, can be found at regattatiming.com. Tickets for Sunday can still be purchased at championshiprowing.com. Adult tickets cost $20, while senior and child tickets cost $10.Â
Bradenton's Rebekah Stewart rows in the No. 1 seat for the University of Alabama's 8+ boat. Stewart and Alabama finished fifth in their Saturday heat.
Some fans opted to watch the NCAA Rowing Championships from the opposite side of the water at Nathan Benderson Park.
The Washington and Stanford I 8+ boats fight for first place in their A/B heat on Saturday at the NCAA Championships. Stanford would win the heat (6:08.50) but both crews would advance to Sunday's finals.
Texas rowers Susanna Temming and Lisa Gutfleisch push for the finish line in the school's I 8+ race at the NCAA Championships on Saturday. Texas would win the heat (6:09.07).
Sophia Dixon and Sarah Commesso row as part of Stanford University's 8+ boat. Stanford would finish second in their heat race May 29 (6:13.270), two seconds behind Texas, but advanced to the event final on Sunday.
Nathan Benderson Park is hosting the NCAA Rowing Championships. The Division I finals will conclude Sunday morning.
The crowd at Nathan Benderson Park spanned the length of the Regatta Island beach during the NCAA Rowing Championships on Saturday.
The Wisconsin, Princeton and Navy 4+ boats do battle on Saturday at Nathan Benderson Park. Wisconsin won the heat (07:15.00) to advance to Sunday's finals.
The rowing course at Nathan Benderson Park displays works of art from the Embracing Our Differences initiative. This one, titled "Sick," is from Suncoast Polytechnical High senior Anna Waite.
The crowd at Nathan Benderson Park for the NCAA Rowing Championships was rowdy Sunday.
The Stanford I 8+ boat (Kelsey McGinley, Annabelle Bachmann, Esther Briz Zamorano, Kaitlyn Kynast, Grace McGinley, Azja Czajkowski, Katelin Gildersleeve and Meg Saunders) won its heat Saturday (6:08.50) to advance to the finals.
The Texas and Stanford II 8+ boats go head to head. Former Sarasota Crew rower Julia Braz is the No. 7 seat for Stanford. Texas would win the heat (6:11.52).
Texas rowers Parker Illingworth, Samantha Schalk, Hannah Medcalf and Maria Valencia celebrate after the school's II 8+ boat won its heat Saturday (6:11.52). Medcalf tossed water on her teammates.
Southern Methodist University rowers Peyton Matthews, Daisy Butterworth, Megan Hewison and Colombe de Rouvroy row in the school's 8+ boat. SMU won its heat (6:27.60) and will compete in the finals Sunday.
