OAK RIDGE, Tenn. –  The women's rowing program is once again bringing home some hardware with a second-place finish in the Varsity (Club) Eight at the 56^th Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship Regatta. 
The Varsity Eight made it clear they were serious contenders from the outset with an easy victory in the Semi-Final race on Saturday.  They finished with a time of 7:18.44 which was 4.5 seconds ahead of second place Tulane University who was followed by Georgia Tech, North Carolina State and William and Mary University. 
Clemson won the other Semi-final with a time of 7:13.00 followed by University of Florida with a time of 7:17.84.
In the Sunday Final, the Lady Panthers were seeded third expecting a tough fight with Florida for second based on the Semi-Final times.  But it proved to be a tight race for all six boats for the first 500 meters of the 2000 meter race.  Clemson and Florida Tech then began moving away from the field.  Over the second 1000 meters, Clemson slowly moved away from Florida Tech taking first place with a time of 7:03.33 four seconds ahead of Florida Tech's time of 7:07.48.  The University of Florida finished third with a time of 7:11.53 followed by University of Georgia, Tulane University and Washington University.
This is the first year since 2022 the Women's Program has been able to enter a competitive Eight.  Last year the Lady Panthers placed first in a Varsity Four and second in a Novice Four.  This year senior Coxswain McKenna Barr led the eight rowers consisting of two seniors, gou sophomores and three freshmen.  
Their second-place finish at this highly regarded regional competition is a huge achievement for the small squad consisting of ten athletes competing against much larger programs.  
The Lady Panthers will next compete at the prestigious Dad Vail Regatta in Cherry Hill, N.J. on May 8 -9.
 
Varsity 8+
Coxswain /McKenna Barr
8 /Brynn Romberger
7 /Kiera Springer
6 /Eliana Wilson
5 /Ashton Clark
4 /Samantha Eisenhofer
3 /Faith Hanson
2 /Maryam Young
Bow /Ava Caruso


Full regatta results can be see via Herenow.


For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech women's rowing team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.