Cavalier Corner

three years, and there is a new national power in Charlottesville. H WOMEN'S TEAM OF THE YEAR After finishing as the national runner-up on three separate occasions, the Cavaliers finally climbed the ladder and won the program's first team national title in 2010. Virginia suffered heavy personnel losses from its championship squad and finished sixth at the 2011 NCAA Championships. Looking to recapture the magic of two seasons ago, the Cavaliers opened the fall season with an impressive victory at the 47th annual Head of the Charles Oct. 23 in Boston. Virginia's 'A' boat in the championship eights finished with a time of 16:11.52, eight seconds ahead of the second-place Radcliffe Crew. UVa's 'B' boat placed 10th with a time of 16:45.65. The fall regattas are three miles longer than the ones in the spring, but head coach Kevin Sauer felt that the victory in Boston provided a great springboard to the new season. "After winning in Boston, I was like: 'Wow we might be pretty good,'" Sauer said. "The fall is dif- ferent than the spring, but I felt like we would be all right. You never really know until you start racing." Virginia entered the spring season ranked No. 1 in the nation and opened 2012 competition at the Oak Ridge Invitational March 17-18 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The Cavaliers finished the two-day regatta with 18 total victories, including five in head-to-head races with No. 18 Tennessee. UVa would face its stiffest test of the young sea- BY DREW GOODMAN ISTORICALLY, COLLEGE rowing glory has been confined to the Northeast and the West Coast. Prior to 2010, only five schools had ever won a team national championship. Fast-forward son two weeks later at the San Diego Crew Classic March 31-April 1 in San Diego. Virginia's varsity four boat would prove to be the standout performers of the weekend, winning the grand final on the last day of competition. In an intense battle with USC in the varsity eight race, the Trojans held off a late Virginia rally and finished nearly three seconds ahead of the Cavaliers. With the win in the varsity eight, USC finished the weekend on top and took home the prestigious Jessop- Whittier Cup. In addition to the Trojans, UVa went toe-to-toe with some of the nation's elite, including California, UCLA, Stanford and Washington. The Cavaliers felt that the event was a great measuring stick for success and provided extra motivation for the re- mainder of the season. "I think it was race that let us know where we were," fourth-year Keziah Beall said. "It was disap- pointing not to win, but it put us right in reach and made us hungry to go out there and beat USC the second time." The Cavaliers returned home from San Diego with a renewed sense of energy, and the rest of the nation was put on notice. Virginia went on a tear for the remainder of its 2012 schedule, culminating with its 12th ACC championship in 13 seasons. In the process, the new and improved first varsity eight won a league title with a time of 6:27.9. The unit comprised of Sidney Thorsten (coxswain), Beall, fourth-years Sarah Cowburn and Martha Kuzzy, third-years Susanne Grainger and Kristine O'Brien, second-years Carli Goldberg and Fiona Schlesinger, and first-year Hemingway Benton was named the ACC Crew of the Year. In addition, Sauer was named ACC Coach of the Year for an eighth time. Arguably the most impressive victory of the regular season came against Michigan April 28 in Columbus, Ohio. The Wolverines came into the competition undefeated and were looking to solidify their standing as the top program in the CAVALIER CORNER ◆ AUGUST 2012 ◆ 32

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