Women’s Varsity 4, Novice 8 boats advance to ACRA nationals with top-three finishes at SIRA regionals

Saturday, April 18

Oak Ridge, TN

Liberty University Club Sports

Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta

Liberty's Women's Novice 8 lineup finished third among club programs, securing a trip back to Oak Ridge, Tenn., for the May 15-17 ACRA National Championships.

Women’s Varsity 4, Novice 8 boats advance to ACRA nationals with top-three finishes at SIRA regionals

4/21/2026 1:03:00 PM | Rowing

Last season’s national champion Women’s Novice 4 lineup qualified with another gold-medal finish at the Varsity level in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Women's Varsity 4 rowers portrait at SIRI — Liberty's Women's Varsity 4 crew captured the SIRI gold medal. (Photo by Allie Reed)

The same lineup that captured a gold medal for Liberty University's rowing program in the Women's Novice 4 at last season's ACRA National Championships on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, Tenn., struck gold again in the Women's Varsity 4 final at Sunday's SIRA Championships at the same location.

The Lady Flames, led by junior stroke Mary May Bailey, graduate rower Rebecca Couric, juniors Liza Perdew and Grace Cornell, and senior coxswain Anna Benjamin, advanced to the final by pulling past a boat from the College of William & Mary with a winning semifinal time of 8:29.753, more than nine seconds faster than the Tribe (8:38.987). The two boats had a heated rematch in the final, with the Lady Flames overcoming William & Mary's half-boat lead late in the race before again gaining separation down the stretch to win, 7:43.7-7:48.87. Both finished well in front of third-place Duke (8:11.662), Baylor (8:12.201), and Vanderbilt (8:21.784) in the six-boat final.

"That was a strong finish, and a very close race," Liberty Head Coach Debbie Prowse said. "In the last 100-meter sprint, we were able to pass them and gain open water in front of them. The girls have been practicing their sprints and were able to pour it on and walk through. It was an outstanding race performance, and a very exciting finish."

She is hopeful that the rowers can replicate their feat from last spring, when they also won a gold medal in the Women's Novice 4 at the SIRA event before their impressive finish at the ACRA regatta.

"That's the plan," Prowse said. "We are looking forward to gaining some speed in the next few weeks and returning to Oak Ridge, Tenn., to race at ACRAs (from May 15-17). ACRA is definitely a much larger regatta and always brings the best crews from throughout the nation, so we'll have our work cut out for us."

She said having nationals at the same site as regionals could favor the Lady Flames.

"It's exciting to be able to go back to a really nice, fully buoyed course, which offers great viewing for spectators, who can walk along the course to see all the races," Prowse said. "(The Lady Flames) have very high expectations, with winning this SIRA title proving that they have speed, and we expect them to be vying for medal position."

Liberty will also enter its Women's Novice 8 at nationals. That boat, featuring junior Sarah Grassman, sophomores Angelique Buntin, McKenny Reynolds, Jacquie Jurgovan, Olivia Henderson, and Lauren Norton; and freshmen Gabrielle Buckles, Lily Connor; and Ashlyn Leininger at coxswain, finished fourth. However, because the winning entry, Kansas State, was an NCAA Division I program, the Lady Flames received a bronze medal and punched their ticket to the ACRA event.

"Anything's possible," Prowse said of the team's chances of a podium finish at club nationals. "They've learned a lot, and are working really hard on the water. Spring training was excellent for them, and they made a lot of progress. Our first-year rowers are continuing to learn a lot of techniques on the basics of rowing and how to really pull together as a team."

Liberty also entered a Women's 2- boat, paced by seniors Allie Reed and Alayna Degan, with each using one oar to row to a third-place showing in the A final in 8:25.394. That placed them behind only pairs from Virginia (8:13.698) and Texas (8:18.795) and ahead of NCAA Division I Jacksonville (Fla.) University (fourth, 8:35.134) and William & Mary (8:36.816) in a six-boat race.

However, since Liberty's 53rd Commencement falls on the same weekend, the Lady Flames will walk with their classmates rather than row as a pair at ACRAs.

Lady Flames juniors Elise Marsalis and Caitlin Kinsella took fifth in the Women's 2x A final, with both sculling two oars to finish in 8:44.562 behind doubles from Virginia (8:10.672), Northwestern State (8:16.971), Jacksonville B (8:26.364), and Jacksonville (8:29.546).

The Flames only entered one boat, the Men's Varsity 4, which finished second in the C final and 14th overall. That crew featured four seniors — stroke Gideon Abbott, seniors Nick Belzer, Matt Giordano, and coxswain Kyle Meeker — and freshman Aiden Lovelace.

Complete results are available online.

Liberty will use the same men's lineup to compete in Sunday's Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Crew Championship at Sandy Run Boathouse in Fairfax Station near Occoquan, Va. That will be the final regatta for the Flames as well as the women's pair and women's double boats, and will serve as a tuneup race for the Women's Varsity 4 and Women's Novice 8.

"It will be a nice local regular season-ending regatta," Prowse said. "With a lot of our rowers being from the Virginia area, it is a close enough race lot of (families) to attend."

The team will leave at 4:30 a.m. Sunday and hold an informal church service on the bus en route to the regatta, where they will row against teams from American, Cleveland State, host George Mason, JMU, Maryland, Richmond, Penn State, St. John's (Md.) College, VCU, and Virginia Tech.

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer