The Flames and Lady Flames stopped for a team photo at Smith Mountain Lake after returning from the Head of the South on Sunday.
Rowers conclude fall semester with bronze medal in women’s Novice 8, silver in men’s single at Head of the South
11/15/2023 4:07:00 PM | Rowing
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Liberty is hosting open practices on Wednesday and Thursday from 6-8 p.m. in the Club Sports Complex to attract new members for the spring semester, when the Flames and Lady Flames could row in six regattas.
Competing against several powerful programs, Liberty University's men's and women's rowing teams endured cold and rainy conditions to post strong showings, including a bronze medal performance from the women's Novice 8, at the semester-ending Head of the South regatta on Saturday and Sunday on the Savannah River in Augusta, Ga.
"We were hoping for a little bit warmer weather, but we managed, and we were fine," Liberty Head Coach Debbie Prowse said. "Races are not climate controlled. You are out there in the elements, which is why we practice in all kinds of weather, because you never know what you're going to race in. Several families came to watch despite the bad weather conditions, and we appreciate the effort that the parents make to show up and support the team."
The Flames and Lady Flames mostly held their own in their battles against the elements and opposing boats throughout the two-day event.
"We got to meet up against a lot of crews we hadn't raced yet, so it was good for us to get some more racing experience," Prowse said, noting that in-state rivals Virginia Tech and William & Mary did not attend. "There were teams we typically come up against in the SIRA and ACRA championships. We got to race Clemson and Georgia Tech, which both had really strong crews with strong finishes, as well as Tampa."
The Lady Flames Novice 8 crew earned a bronze medal at the Head of the South.
The Lady Flames' Novice 8 boat completed the 5,000-meter course in 21 minutes, 15.2 seconds to place third behind only Georgia (20:04.1) and Clemson (20:41.9) and in front of Georgia Tech (21:27.9) and North Georgia (22:18).
Liberty's women's Varsity 8 finished fourth in 18:42.4, behind two boats from Clemson that won in 17:59.1 and placed second in 18:18.3, between two others from Georgia Tech that crossed the finish line third in 18:20.2 and fifth in 19:15.9, and ahead of crews from VCU, Emory, and Georgia.
The women's Varsity 8 also divided into two women's Varsity 4 crews and the Lady Flames entered a total of three boats in that race, with the boat with junior Jada Lane serving as coxswain finishing fifth in 20:30.9, the one coxed by junior Rachel Teague placing sixth in 20:35.8, and the one coxed by senior Devyn Bayle placing 10th out of 17 boats in 21:40.7. Clemson's top two of its four boats finished 1-2 in 18:39.3 and 20:00.
Individually, junior John Bailey sculled his way to a second-place finish out of five boats in the men's single in 19:37.2, behind only Georgia's Brian Smith (19:26.4) and ahead of UNC-Chapel Hill's Ryan Lapierre (21:15) and Wake Forest's Harrison McCullough (22:39.1). Sophomore Kyle Meeker came in third out of three boats in the men's lightweight single in 22:45.3.
"John has really improved in the single and it was great that he was able to pull out that second-place finish," Prowse said. "That was awesome."
Liberty's Men's Novice 4 placed seventh, taking two minutes off its time at Richmond.
The Flames' men's Novice 4 placed seventh out of eight boats in 20:55.6 — two minutes faster than its time from the team's first regatta in Richmond — and their men's Varsity 4 crossed the finish line 10th out of 10 boats (including three from Clemson and two each from Georgia Tech and Georgia) in 19:34.4. Complete results are available online.
With race distances shortened from 5,000 to 2,000 meters, Prowse is already gearing up for what promises to be a fast-paced spring semester with as many as six regattas on Liberty's schedule.
The Flames and Lady Flames will be back on the water out of their boathouse on Smith Mountain Lake starting on Feb. 26, which will give them four weeks of practice before their first race, the March 23 John Ferriss Regatta in Gainesville, Ga. The week before that, over Spring Break, the team is looking at returning to Hilton Head, S.C., for two-a-day training sessions from March 9-16.
Then, they will potentially attend the Waterfield Cup if it is again put on by Virginia Tech at Claytor Lake, the Rocketts Landing Regatta hosted by VCU, and the Occoquan Sprint before concluding the season with regional and national events in Chattanooga, Tenn. — the April 20-21 SIRA Championships and May 17-19 ACRA Championships.
Money raised on Liberty's Giving Day last month will allow the extended travel opportunities as well as the purchase of a set of skinny oars.
Looking to bolster its roster and lineups for the spring semester, Liberty's rowing team will hold open practices for prospective rowers in its Club Sports Training Complex room tonight and Thursday from 6-8 p.m.
"We are always looking for more athletes, and anybody, with or without rowing experience, is welcome," Prowse said.
By Ted Allen/Staff WriterThe Women's Novice 8 rows in the Savannah River for this past weekend's fall semester-ending 5,000-meter Head of the South.
