Women's Rowing 5/1/2023 11:03:00 AM Chris Brannick

Bronchos Compete At WIRA Championships

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Central Oklahoma showcased its skills at the WIRA Championships this weekend and the Bronchos took second and third place in two Grand Finals races against the best teams in the country.

SEE COMPLETE RESULTS HERE

UCO's Varsity 8+ boat finished second in Sunday's Grand Final after winning a prelim race Saturday morning. The Varsity 4+ boat took third in the Grand Final after winning its heat race on Saturday.

"We expected WIRA to be a tough weekend of racing for the team," first-year head rowing coach Jen Gilbert said. "With new lineups for both the Varsity 8+ and Varsity 4+ we are still trying to find our new rhythm in both boats, but we learned a lot about ourselves from this event. The women in the team are motivated to prove their speed, and the trust in the process is there that we can take our performance to the next level. As we begin our final run into the GNAC Championships we are looking forward to the opportunity to travel with more of our squad for the next competition."

UCO also won first place in the Novice 4+ Grand Final on Sunday after winning their prelim race Saturday. In a 2x race, the Bronchos finished fourth in the Petite Final, and the 2- race, UCO finished second.

Central Oklahoma's V8+ was led by Sydney Large this weekend, with Gilbert making small adjustments to the lineup before the GNAC Championships in two weeks. Kenna Chamlee, Lauren Clark, Keyna Swoosh, Raphaela Sanchez, Samantha Hutchings, Faith Brooks, Victoria Petschnig, and Peyton Meiler made up the boat. The crew took first in heat racing with a time of 6:57.65 on Saturday before finishing second in Sunday's Grand Final with a time of 7:03.91.

The fours were led by Emily Overholt and she had Danielle Holle, Sinead Quirke, Audra Hempfling, and Allie Schein in the boat. The crew finished first in heat racing with a time of 7:54.31 on Saturday and then finished third in Sunday's Grand Final with a time of 7:52.79.

The Bronchos also had a Varsity 4+ B boat led by Large. With Swoosh, Brooks, Chamlee and Meiler, the crew finished second in heat racing (7:56.09) and fifth in Sunday's Grand Final with a time of 7:57.87.

The first-place winning Novice 4+ boat led by Macie Cohlmia finished first in heat racing (8:00.68) and then won Sunday's Grand Final with a time of 8:10.43. Clark, Hutchings, Sanchez and Petschnig joined Cohlmia in that boat.

UCO will take this weekend off as it prepares for the 2023 GNAC Championships May 13 in Oregon. The Bronchos won the inaugural conference title in 2021 and finished third last season. The winner of the GNAC title earns an automatic qualification to the 2023 NCAA Division II Rowing Championships May 26-27 in New Jersey.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Faith Brooks: 5' 8"; Junior; Varsity

Kenna Chamlee: 5' 11"; Graduate Student; Varsity

Macie Cohlmia: 5' 4"; Sophomore

Audra Hempfling: 5' 7"; Sophomore

Danielle Holle: 5' 6"; Junior; Varsity

Keyna Swoosh: 5' 6"; Junior; Varsity

Peyton Meiler: 5' 3"; Sophomore

Emily Overholt: 4' 2"; Junior; Varsity

Sinead Quirke: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Allie Schein: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Faith Brooks
: 5' 8"; Junior; Varsity

Kenna Chamlee
: 5' 11"; Graduate Student; Varsity

Macie Cohlmia
: 5' 4"; Sophomore

Audra Hempfling
: 5' 7"; Sophomore

Danielle Holle
: 5' 6"; Junior; Varsity

Keyna Swoosh
: 5' 6"; Junior; Varsity

Peyton Meiler
: 5' 3"; Sophomore

Emily Overholt
: 4' 2"; Junior; Varsity

Sinead Quirke
: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Allie Schein
: 5' 6"; Sophomore