Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1494955
APRIL 2023 7 cavalier sports L ast season, the University of Virginia row- ing program captured its 21st Atlantic Coast Conference championship and fin- ished ninth at the NCAA Championships. "To win the ACC championship and finish ninth after the year we had through the end of April is really a testimony to the grit and resilience of this team," 14-time ACC Coach of the Year Kevin Sauer said. "But we want a lot more, and with those returning and the infusion of our incoming class, we will work hard, striving to improve on this finish." Fourth-years Tahne Badenhorst and Larkin Brown are two student-athletes that Sauer is looking to for that improvement. Last year, Badenhorst and Brown helped the second varsity eight to an ACC title and sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Baden- horst earned All-ACC Academic honors, and both were named to the ACC Honor Roll. "Tahne and Larkin, through their hard work and attitudes, have established them- selves as fantastic teammates and, in con- cert with the class reps, are great leaders for our team," Sauer said. Badenhorst and Brown got off to a fast start leading the Cavaliers to three of four race wins at the Rivanna Romp to conclude a successful fall season. "We had a great fall," Brown said. "Com- ing out of our momentum from the Romp, we hit the ground running this winter and we are excited to see our work pay off this spring. We had a successful scrimmage against Duke at Lake Wheeler, even in 25-mile-per-hour winds. "With a great season opener, we can't wait to see how our team will continue to grow and perform." Badenhorst and Brown had long discus- sions of what they wanted their leadership to look like. They ultimately decided their main roles as co-captains would be as ad- vocates and facilitators to their teammates. "We have focused our leadership on communication and listening," Badenhorst said. "We have worked with our class reps to unify and push our team. The team dynamic this year has been unlike anything we have seen in our four years on the team. "This has allowed for the team to push each other competitively and surpass last year's accomplishments." UVA added a talented group of newcom- ers to this year's roster, which according to Sauer "took it upon themselves to be signifi- cantly better when they arrived at UVA than when we recruited them." "The first-year class is awesome," Brown said. "They are filling up some of our top boats, seeing splits they have never seen before on the erg [the ergom- eter machine, used to simulate rowing and measure work output without an actual boat], and challenging us upper- classmen daily. "A major goal we have as a team is to be proud and satisfied with our total body of work at the end of the season. We spent our entire fall and winter putting in the front work to set us up for spring. At the end of the season, we want as a team to be able to feel accomplished with our work in action." — Erich Bacher behind the scenes Fourth-Year Rowers Tahne Badenhorst and Larkin Brown Last season, Brown (left) and Badenhorst (right) helped the UVA rowing program capture its 21st ACC championship. (Photo by Matt Riley/courtesy UVA)