OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — For the second straight year, Alabama rowing competed in all five Grand Final races on Sunday at Melton Hill Lake, earning a trio of event bronze medals and posting a fifth-place finish. The medal count ties the team’s total from last season.
“Overall, we had a solid team performance this weekend,” UA head coach Larry Davis said. “All of our crews made the grand finals, we garnered three medals in five events and finished fifth overall in the team standings.”
After medaling in three events last season, the Tide equaled that performance this weekend by grabbing third in the Third Varsity 8+, Second Varsity 4+ and First Varsity 4+. Those showings helped propel Alabama to a fifth-place finish with 23 team points.
The 3V8+ was the first race of the day for Alabama, finishing neck-and-neck with Tennessee as the Tide’s bow pushed across the line in 7:08.299, just six-tenths of a second ahead of the Volunteers in 7:08.912 to secure a bronze medal for Alabama. The Tide’s 2V4+ and 1V4+ took third in the next two races before the First and Second Varsity 8+ finished up the day of racing.
Senior Nicole Lane, a member of Alabama’s conference 1V8+ crew, earned All-Big 12 honors.
The strong finish at the conference championship closes an outstanding week on and off the water for the Crimson Tide, as they placed 35 rowers on the Academic All-Big 12 team earlier this week. Thirty-three of the 35 earned first-team honors, including five with a 4.0 GPA, the highest total in both categories for any Big 12 team.
“Academically, 33 of our student athletes were recognized for making the Big 12 All-Academic First Team – the most of any team at the Championships by a large margin,” Davis said. “I’m proud of the girls and how they represented Alabama this weekend.”
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS GRAND FINAL RACE RESULTS – SUNDAY, MAY 13
3V8+
3rd – Alabama (7:08.299)
2V4+
3rd – Alabama (7:47.482)
1V4+
3rd – Alabama (7:36.175)
2V8+
5th – Alabama (6:59.315)
1V8+
6th – Alabama (7:02.876)
