SARASOTA, Fla. – No. 17 Rutgers rowing raced to two victories throughout morning and evening sessions at the first of two days at the second annual Big Ten Invitational at Nathan Benderson Park.

The 2nd Novice 8 boat scored the first Rutgers victory of the day during the morning session with a six-second win over No. 8 Ohio State, Michigan State, and Minnesota in 7:18.659. The 3rd Varsity 4 boat grabbed a five-second triumph against No. 8 Ohio State, Minnesota, Notre Dame, and Michigan State in a time of 7:36.677.

Varsity 8 and Novice 8 (racing up with the 3rd Varsity 8's) finished second in their morning races behind No. 6 Michigan in each event. The Varsity 8 notably finished 3.5 seconds ahead of No. 12 Virginia.

The Varsity 8 returned for the evening session and took third, just a second behind No. 10 Duke as No. 2 Stanford took the race. The Novice 8, 2nd Novice 8, and 3rd Varsity 4 all placed second in their events during the second session, with the 2nd Novice 8 beating out No. 20 Indiana and the 3rd Varsity 4 pulling in ahead of No. 18 Tennessee.

The event previews the site of the NCAA Championships course in May and features nine teams in the 16-team field with a CRCA national ranking heading into the weekend. All eight Big Ten Conference programs are in attendance - Iowa, No. 20 Indiana, No. 6 Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, No. 8 Ohio State, No. 17 Rutgers, and Wisconsin - and join No. 7 Brown, Dartmouth, No. 10 Duke, Notre Dame, No. 2 Stanford, No. 18 Tennessee, No. 12 Virginia, and Washington State. Additionally, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan State, and Notre Dame are receiving votes in the CRCA Week 5 national poll.

Rutgers returns to the water on Saturday morning for a final session at the Big Ten Invitational beginning at 8:40 a.m. Fans can follow live results at https://herenow.com/results/#/races/20980/results.

LINEUPS (stroke to bow, coxswain last)
AM & PM Varsity 8
Femke Paulis
Sorcha O'Donnell
Hannah Heideveld
Olivia Maxton
Luisa Neerschulte
Erin Miners
Sophia Catuogno
Lauren Sanchez
Emily Mahaffy

AM &  PM 2^nd Varsity 8
Christina Pender
Gabriele Bagdonas
Rosemarijn Luteijn
Molly Hopping
Megan Evans
Ellen White
Hannah Meade
Emily Meade
Victoria Grieder

AM Varsity 4
Jordan Policari
Margaret Kane
Tanisha Franke
Libby Snyder
Emily O'Neill

PM Varsity 4
Jordan Policari
Margaret Kane
Tanisha Franke
Libby Snyder
Julia Hoff

AM 2^nd Varsity 4
Meaghan Schneid
Julia Kennedy
Karin Brandner
Claire Ciardiello
Julia Hoff

PM 2nd Varsity 4
Olivia Coffey
Julia Kennedy
Meaghan Schneid
Claire Ciardiello
Stephanie Welsh

AM 3^rd Varsity 4
Olivia Coffey
Taylor Ralston
Alaina Feaster
Maggie Nickel
Stephanie Welsh

PM 3rd Varsity 4
Karin Brandner
Taylor Ralston
Alaina Feaster
Maggie Nickel
Emily O'Neill

AM Novice 8
Vanessa Karayiannis
Lauren Andersen
Elli Arbogast
Johanna Murphy
Julia Galesi
Catherine Garvey
Jordan Barr
Catherine Montgomery
Anne Rudawski

PM Novice 8
Vanessa Karayiannis
Lauren Andersen
Elli Arbogast
Johanna Murphy
Julia Galesi
Catherine Garvey
Jordan Barr
Catherine Montgomery
Megan Cherichello

AM 2^nd Novice 8
Karlie Johnson
Natalie Davis
Emma Paxton
Elize Starr
Zoe Merold
Kaitlin Zajac
Sydney Fishkin
Aida Fong
Megan Cherichello

PM 2nd Novice 8
Karlie Johnson
Natalie Davis
Emma Paxton
Elize Starr
Zoe Merold
Kaitlin Zajac
Sydney Fishkin
Aida Fong
Anne Rudawski


Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers rowing, follow the program on Twitter and Instagram (@RutgersWRowing). The team is also on Facebook (facebook.com/RutgersWRowing). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
- RU -