By Travis Gschrey, News Correspondent
Northeastern’s first varsity squad is looking to build off its most successful event of the season as they prepare for the IRA National Championships in two weeks.
After a three-week stretch that saw Northeastern take two tough losses against Brown University and Harvard University, the team rebounded at the EARC Sprints Championship this past weekend in Worcester, Mass. At the event, the first varsity eight finished fourth out of seven squads in the Varsity Grand Final, while the team as a whole finished third in points out of 18 competing schools.
The first varsity eight posted a time of 5.33.972, finishing behind Harvard (5.27.277), Brown (5.28.998), and Princeton University (5.32.411) in capturing fourth place. Northeastern’s time is a school record at this event, besting the previous mark from 2001.
It was the total team effort of Northeastern as a whole, though, that really impressed. The second and fourth varsity squads won their respective final races, while the third team finished second in their event. It was this overall depth that led to Northeastern’s success.
“You saw depth and speed on display today,” head coach John Pojednic told GoNU.com. “I think [today’s performance] says that we need to keep going with this program. Between last spring and this year, we’re seeing results that you can’t argue with. We’re starting to chip into the traditional pecking order of rowing in the United States.”
This depth helped guide Northeastern to 24 team points, finishing behind only Brown and Harvard, who both tallied 35 points. It is also the fourth straight year that at least one Northeastern squad took home a medal at this event, with the second varsity eight taking gold and the third taking silver in their respective Grand Finals.
The team will now look ahead to the IRA National Championships in Mercer, N.J., which begins May 30. Northeastern will be looking to top their success at the event last year, when they finished fourth in the varsity eight Grand Final.
Photo courtesy goNU.com
