MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern rowing squad competed in the Head of the Indian Creek on Sunday afternoon, racing against Barry, Stetson and host Miami.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
LOCATION: Indian Creek | Miami Beach, Fla.
HOST: Miami
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CONDITIONS:
- Very sunny, Florida day. Temperature started warm and became quite hot by the time the 4's launched at 12:00 noon.
- There was a slight breeze, but the water was flat and great for rowing.
RACE FORMAT:
- Head race style, one boat starting at a time and chase style, trying to catch the boat in front and stay ahead of the boat behind.
- The course was 4,000 meters with very little turns.
RESULTS:
- The varsity 8 boat consisting of Lisette Villarreal, Mikayla Switzer, Kassie Moss, Nicole Baliszewski, Emily Stewart, Ariel McAffrey, Kamaye Nichols, Rayna Stuart and coxswain Victoria Porretti and finished fourth overall with a time of 14:59 behind Miami's A and B boats and Barry.
- The varsity 4 boat, which included coxswain Porretti, Villarreal, Baliszewski, Moss and Stewart also finished in fourth behind Miami's A and B boats and Barry in 16:39.
- The Sharks had two more four boats racing on Sunday, with the second 4 (Katherine Godwin, Samantha Burgess, Gabriella Lopez, Switzer and Stuart) finishing in 17:33 and the third 4 (Maydelissa Pinell, Krystal Renta, Gabrielle Orr, Jasmine Morris and Emma Brownawell) crossing the line in 17:23.
BEYOND THE RESULTS WITH COACH FAY:
- In the Varsity 8 : The boat raced aggressively from the start, but did not have as good of a row as at UCF the day before. We were well off the pace that Miami set for the day, but only slightly off the pace that Barry went. We are rowing well, yet we still have some speed to gain with rowing the new style we are going for this fall and Rayna Stuart, who spent some time in the stroke seat for the Varsity 8 this past spring season as a sophomore, had a great day and is setting a good rhythm for that crew to follow. She has one of the most dynamic strokes through the water on the team which has been a focus so far this fall.
- In the Varsity 4 : We tested the Head of the Charles 4 line-up against Barry and came up a little short. We purposefully held that boat back on stroke rating and they really didn't get comfortable until they started pushing harder in the second half of the race. They will put some more time in practice to sharpen up and get their pacing down, so when they come down the course the Head of the Charles they will come out blazing with much more intensity. It will be a great test for those athletes next weekend.
- There was close racing in the B and C entries between Barry and Stetson. In our B 4 entry they rowed a higher stroke rating led by Mikayla Switzer, who stroked the Varsity 4 from last spring's racing season. This boat had a relatively good row coming in just off the pace of Stetson's B and C entries and Miami's C entry. The performance of the day goes to our C 4 entry, the youngest NSU boat on the course, with freshman Jasmine Morris, Krystal Renta, Emma Brownawell plus sophomore Gabrielle Orr junior Coxswain Maydelissa Pinell. Finishing just ahead of their Barry C 4 counterparts while similarly being just off the pace of the B and C entries from Stetson and the C entry from Miami, this boat had a great row and we expect them to continue to contribute and push the success of our squad throughout the year.
UP NEXT
NSU will take its varsity 4 boat (Porretti, Villarreal, Baliszewski, Moss and Stewart) to the 53rd Head of the Charles held in Boston, Mass.
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_Rowing.
