Rowing team wins five races against Drake

TUSCALOOSA | The Alabama Rowing team opened its home season Sunday, winning five races against Drake on the Black Warrior River including a sweep of the Novice races.

“It was a good day on the river,” Alabama head coach Larry Davis said. “We had a good solid bunch of races. We got off the line clean and got out to a good lead in our races.”

In the Varsity 8+ races, Alabama’s “A” boat won the first and second races, posting a 4:57.9 and 5:01.9 respectively. The Tide’s “B” boat beat Drake in the first varsity race, 5:11.7 to 5:14.7 but finished behind Drake in the second race 5:21.3 to 5:18.8. Drake won both the Varsity 4+ races, winning the first race 4:23.8-4:24.6 and the second race 4:34.8-4:47.4.

“There are still some things we need to clean up, but I thought we made good progress today,” Davis said. “We just have to keep taking steps forward to continue to be competitive.”

Alabama’s Novices swept Drake, including finishing first and second in both the 8+ races. In the first Novice 8+, Alabama’s “A” boat won in a time of 5:30.0 while the “B” boat took second in a time of 5:51.1 while Drake finished at 5:56.1. In the second Novice 8+ race, the Tide’s “A” boat was second with a 5:32.0, the “B” finished at 5:42.6 while Drake finished at 6:02.6. Alabama’s Novice 4+ boat beat Drake 4:55.7 to 5:10.2.

Alabama hits the road for its next competition, taking on Ohio State and Michigan in Columbus, Ohio. next Saturday. The Buckeyes were third in the nation last season and both the Ohio State and the Wolverines are primed for another run to the NCAA Finals.