WEST WINDSOR, N.J. - No. 4 Rutgers rowing will head into championship season with winning momentum after sweeping all five races against No. 9 Syracuse and Princeton, who was receiving votes in the latest CRCA Poll, on Sunday on Mercer Lake.

The Scarlet Knights finished first in the First Varsity 8, the Second Varsity 8, the First Varsity 4, the Second/Third Varsity 4, and the Novice 8 races on the 2,000-meter course on Mercer Lake, one of the premier racing venues in the country and home to U.S. Olympic and World Championship trials, and multiple NCAA Championships.

The RU Varsity 8 boat, who won a Big Ten Boat of the Week award its last time on the water, continued its season-long improvement with nearly a four-second win over perennial powerhouse Princeton and nationally Top 10 ranked Syracuse. The crew crossed the line in 6:28.3.

The Second Varsity 8 and Varsity 4 crews both avenged losses to Syracuse from earlier in the season, coming out on top on Sunday in rematches. The Second Varsity 8 squad pulled out a 2.4-second triumph over the Orange, while the Varsity 4 team won the most thrilling race of the day by 0.8 seconds over Princeton, and 1.6 seconds ahead of third place Syracuse.

Rutgers Third Varsity 4(A) boat crossed first against four other boats, including a second place performance from the RU Second Varsity 4, with the winning time of 7:24.6. The Scarlet Knights Novice 8 and Second Novice 8 concluded racing on Sunday with a race against each other and the clock, as both showed improvement at the finish line.

The Scarlet Knights will now prepare for the Big Ten Championships on May 16 in Indianapolis. 



Results
 

Varsity 8
Rutgers	6:28.3
Princeton	6:32.0
Syracuse	6:41.8

2nd Varsity 8
Rutgers	6:39.8
Syracuse	6:42.2
Princeton	6:49.5

Varsity Four
Rutgers	7:23.4
Princeton	7:24.2
Syracuse	7:25.0

Frosh/Novice 8
Rutgers 1N8	7:09.7
Rutgers 2N8	7:19.7

2V4/3V4
Rutgers 3V4	7:24.6
Rutgers 2V4	7:29.7
Syracuse 2V4	7:33.7
Rutgers 4V4	7:37.3
Syracuse 3V4	7:52.4

Lineups

Varsity 8
8: Femke Paulis
7: Emma Hopkins
6: Hannah Heideveld
5: Meaghan Schneid
4: Luisa Neerschulte
3: Olivia Maxton
2: Emily Kean
1: Karin Brandner
Coxswain: Emily Mahaffy

2nd Varsity 8
8: Sophia Catuogno
7: Rosemarijn Luteijn 
6: Kathleen Butler
5: Christina Pender
4: Ellen White
3: Megan Evans
2: Tessa Catuogno
1: Sorcha O'Donnell
Coxswain: Stephanie Welsh

Varsity 4
4: Grace Lewis
3: Gabriele Bagdonas
2: Tanisha Franke 
1: Taylor Ralston
Coxswain: Rachel Usen

2nd Varsity 4
4: Isabella Martins 
3: Jillian Moran
2: Claire Ciardiello
1: Margaret Nickel
Coxswain: Madison Sieloff

3rd Varsity 4A
4: Jordan Policari
3: Elena Vargas
2: Erin Miners
1: Ashley Adamo
Coxswain: Emily O'Neill

3rd Varsity 4B
4: Hannah Meade
3: Kathryn Conover
2: MaryKate McGee
1: Hannah Davis
Coxswain: Audrey O'Neill

Novice 8
8: Catriona Sims
7: Alaina Feaster
6: Margaret Kane
5: Louisa Attia
4: Libby Snyder 
3: Lauren Johnson
2: Brianna Patnaude
1: Ariel Lonoff
Coxswain: Madelaine Oke

2nd Novice 8
8: Olivia Coffey
7: Aisling Byrne
6: Delainy Schlemmer
5: Grace Pettit
4: Veronica Hohmann
3: Molly Martin
2: Molly Bertscha
1: Kelsey Crawford
Coxswain: Julia Hoff