WEST WINDSOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. – Paced by a first-place finish from the Club Four – DI boat, the Wentworth Institute of Technology rowing team kicked off the spring portion of its schedule at the Knecht Cup, held this weekend on Mercer Lake.
Freshman John Inman (North Grafton, Mass.) was the coxswain of the Leopards' winning boat which also consisted of sophomore John Parker (Fairport, N.Y.), senior Alec Boyle (Shirley, Mass.), senior Jacob L'Heureux (Sanford, Maine), and sophomore Tyler Brinson (Lowell, Mass.). In their heat, the Black & Gold finished first with a time of 7:02.54, which was 3.24 seconds faster than the University of Pittsburgh's "A" entry. In the finals, Wentworth again topped Pittsburgh's "A" entry, finishing at 7:03.55, 3.37 seconds ahead of second place.
The Division II/III Varsity Four boat consisted of sophomore coxswain Sara Anderson (Manchester, N.H.) as well as sophomore James Bednar (Kansas City, Mo.), senior Logan O'Donnell (Killingworth, Conn.), freshman Ben Coleman (Avon, Conn.), and senior Padraic O'Sullivan (Upton, Mass.). The Leopards finished third in their heat with a time of 7:21.66 and this time was fast enough to quality for the finals. In the finals, Wentworth finished third with a time of 7:11.34, finishing only behind Bowdoin's "A" (7:02.70) and "B" (7:08.88) boats.
Freshman Marina Schmid (Mendon, Mass.) was the coxswain of the Novice Four boat, which also consisted of freshman Zachary Gaudet (Dracut, Mass.), freshman Erik Furmann (Charlton, Mass.), freshman Noor Hassan (Lexington, Mass.), and freshman Angelo Lamoureux (Southbridge, Mass.). The Leopards placed fifth in their heat, crossing the line in a time of 7:56.39.
In the Varsity Eight race, sophomore Emily Seslar (Plymouth, Mass.) was the coxswain of the boat consisting of Parker, Bednar, O'Donnell, L'Heureux, O'Sullivan, Boyle, Brinson, and Coleman. The Leopards were scheduled to race on Sunday, however, high winds canceled racing for the day.
Wentworth next competes at the UMass Lowell Invitational on Saturday, April 21.
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