Women's Crew Concludes Racing at Henley Royal Regatta 2015
7/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Crew
Women's Open Eight Results | Women's Quad Scull Results
HENLEY-ON-THAMES, England – Brown University women's crew competed in a pair of semifinal races, falling to national team level crews in both match-ups, to conclude racing at the Henley Royal Regatta 2015 on The River Thames on Saturday.
"Our boats faced major competition at Henley today. Their opponents were composed of the top national team members from Britain and Canada respectively and of the individuals who will be top contenders for gold in Rio in 2016," Brown head coach John Murphy said. "While racing these crews was definitely a challenge, it was also an exceptional experience for our team, and as always, everyone gave it their very best."
The Bears entry in the women's open eight event, the Remenham Challenge Cup, dropped a three-length decision to the Canadian national team, which competed under the moniker Western Rowing Club and clocked in at 7:20. The Canadian crew placed second to the United States at last month's World Cup and came in second at last summer's World Championships.
Brown's boat in the women's quad scull event, the Princess Grace Challenge Cup, fell to a Great Britain national team boat, Imperial College London and Tees RC, via a verdict of "easily" as the British crew – composed of Olympic veterans and hopefuls – finished with a time of 7:54. The Bears raced well despite facing off with a more experienced crew and taking on a different form of rowing, sculling rather than sweeping, as compared to the NCAA season.
The Bears' eight reached the semifinals after qualifying as a top-four crew in a 13-boat time trial on June 26 and then taking a two-thirds length win over Stanford in Friday's quarterfinals. The crew's quad advanced to the semifinals after defeating Upper Thames RC by four lengths in the quarters on Friday.
Saturday's action marked the close of Brown's competitive racing for the 2014-15 academic year. The crew's United Kingdom tour began with its fifth appearance at the Henley Women's Regatta (1998, 2003, 2007, 2011), competing in 11 races from June 19-21. Brown then competed in five races in its fourth appearance at the Henley Royal Regatta (2003, 2007, 2011) with one race on June 26 and four from July 3-4.
In 2015, Brown won its first Ivy League title since 2008, finished in third as a team at the NCAA Championships, and placed second in the women's elite eight event at the Henley Women's Regatta while Murphy earned Ivy League and CRCA Region 1 Coach of the Year honors.
Brown Schedule/Results at HRR (All Times Local)
Friday, June 26
7:12 p.m. – Women's Open Eight – Qualifying Race – No. 170 Brown – Advanced
Friday, July 3
12:15 p.m. – Women's Quad Scull – Race No. 38 (QF) – No. 360 Brown def. No. 374 Upper Thames RC by 4 Lengths (Time: 7:28)
2:50 p.m. – Women's Open Eight – Race No. 46 (QF) – No. 170 Brown def. No. 182 Stanford by 0.67 Lengths (Time: 6:52)
Saturday, July 4
3:10 p.m. – Women's Quad Scull – Race No. 23 (SF) – No. 362 Imperial College London & Tees RC def. No. 360 Brown, "Easily" (Time: 7:54)
6:30 p.m. – Women's Open Eight – Race No. 37 (SF) – No. 186 Western Rowing Club def. No. 170 Brown by 3 Lengths (Time: 7:20)
