The University of Virginia’s women’s rowing team won the Second Varsity Eight race and earned runner-up finishes in the Varsity Four and Third Varsity Eight at the Eisenberg Cup on April 18. The regatta, held on Lake Carnegie in West Windsor, New Jersey, featured competition from three nationally-ranked teams: Yale, Tennessee, and Princeton.
The results highlight a strong showing for Virginia as they faced top-tier opponents. These performances are significant as they reflect the team’s ability to adapt quickly under pressure and compete successfully against some of the best programs in collegiate rowing.
Virginia’s Second Varsity Eight secured first place with a time of 6:24.6, ahead of Princeton (6:25.6), Yale (6:28.3), and Tennessee (6:28.9). The crew included coxswain Ashlynn McGinn along with Ava Cathey, Georgia Allen, Claudia Kerry-Roger, Riley Richardson, Katie Rapaglia, Savannah Fox, Ayla O’Neill, and Sophia Cavalieri.
Head coach Wesley Ng said after the event: “What phenomenal racing on Lake Carnegie today. We faced the strongest competition of our season and an unforeseen injury in the warm up area meant last second adjustments to all of our lineups. It was really outstanding to see the way the whole team responded on a moment’s notice. I was really proud of their composure and support of one another.” Ng also highlighted individual efforts by saying: “Our 2V’s win, led by first-year stroke Ava Cathey who jumped into the stern from the launch, and the performances from the A4 and 3V8 highlighted the identity we’re building across the entire program.”
In other races at Eisenberg Cup, Virginia finished second in both Varsity Four (7:19.0) and Third Varsity Eight (6:55.9), while placing fourth in both Varsity Eight (6:18.1) and Second Varsity Four (7:35.8).
Looking ahead to upcoming competitions Ng said: “We now turn our attention to the Lake Wheeler Invitational to conclude our regular season prior to the ACC Championships.” Virginia is scheduled to compete next at Lake Wheeler Invite on April 24-25 in Raleigh.
