University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vol Rowing Year-In-Review
July 26, 2001 | Rowing
June 1, 2001
On a warm summer morning last August on the banks of the Tennessee River, third-year head coach Lisa Glenn had her annual gathering of the 60 or so rowers that she hoped would help push the fledgling Lady Vol program to the next level. The combination of females that stood in front of Glenn consisted of 18 returning varsity letterwinners, four outstanding freshmen recruits, and a hodgepodge of former high school athletes who were not ready to let go of their athletic careers.
Over the next month, Glenn and her assistants, Molly Manternach and Emily Hadley refined the skills of their experienced rowers while teaching and developing the rookie rowers. The three coaches hoped that the student-athletes' hard work and dedication would pay off once the season began on Oct. 7th at the Head of the Ohio in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Racing on the waters of the Ohio River in early October proved to be no easy task, as several of the races had to be abandoned due to high prevailing winds. One of the races that was completed, though, was the Varsity 4+ which saw the Tennessee team of junior Shannon McMahon, senior Lauren Kueck, junior Grace Harrington, senior Joyce Kranzke and senior Kristen Logan row themselves to victory in a time of 18:25.6 against a highly competitive team. Tennessee was also able to capture third and fourth in that same race as the crew of senior Erika Twedt, sophomore Kelly Kraiss, sophomore Kay Logan, sophomore Ashley Smith and senior Marie Hanscom crossed the finish in 18:34.3 while the UT shell comprised of freshman Lizzie Brown, sophomore Kacey Montgomery, junior Ginny Bradley, senior Tammy Horton and sophomore Erin Moore finished in a time of 18:41.8.
A week later, the Lady Vols competed against Duke and Clemson in the Head of Lake Hartwell in Clemson, S.C. The 2nd Varsity 4+ boat of Brown, Kraiss, Kay Logan, Smith and Hanscom was the lone winner of the day as it sculled home in a time of 23:30.0. The Varsity 4+ suffered its only defeat on the fall as it finished second to Duke with a time of 22:49.0. Making up the second-place boat was McMahon, Kueck, Harrington, Kranzke and Kristen Logan. McMahon then coxed the Varsity 8+ to a third-place finish with a time of 20:18.0. The Head of Lake Hartwell also marked the debut of the novice boats as the tandem of freshman Erin Artz, freshman Michelle Higdon, freshman Rebecca Davenport, sophomore Denise Caldwell, sophomore Catherine Angel, freshman Whitney Porter, sophomore Katie McKissick, freshman Davida Lopez and freshman Mary Beth Lewis finished fifth in a time of 26:17.0.
After a week off to rest and regroup, the Orange and White were prepared to defend their water in the 25th edition of the Head of the Tennessee. By the time the day was over, the squad had captured gold medals in three of its four races and also claimed a silver and bronze medal. For the second time in three races, the University of Tennessee's Varsity 4+ shell was listed in first place on the results sheet. This time the unit clocked in at 18:27.54 and improved its season record to 57-1. Later in the day, the duo of Moore and Horton captured gold in the pairs race with a time of 20:20.94. The third gold medal was awarded to the Varsity 8+ team of Twedt, Bradley, Montgomery, Kraiss, Kelsey, Hanscom, Sagar, BeVille and Williams which crossed the line in 17:05.29. Right behind them in a time of 17:38.30 was another Lady Vol Varsity 8+ shell made up of McMahon, Kueck, Kristen Logan, Moore, Harrington, Smith, Kay Logan, Kranzke, and Horton.
The following weekend, the Big Orange competed in two events: the Head of the Chattahoochee and the Chattahoochee Chase in Gainesville, Ga. At the Head of the Chattahoochee, the Varsity 4+ was able to avenge its only defeat on the season as they topped Duke, as well as beating the entire field for the third time this year in a time of 19:06.9. A week after watching their counterparts capture gold at the Head of the Tennessee, the Varsity 8+ tandem of McMahon, Kueck, Kristen Logan, Smith, Harrington, Moore, Kay Logan, Kranzke and Horton pulled off the same feat in a time of 17:22.80.
The next day at the Chattahoochee Chase, the Varsity 4+ enjoyed the same success degree of success with another victory and wound up the fall season with a record of 108-1. In addition, the Lady Vols were also able to capture the second and third place spots, thus sweeping the medals for the first time all year. The Novice 8+ team of Artz, freshman Natalie Fecher, Angel, Caldwell, sophomore Katherine Zajac, freshman Liz Humberd, junior Kelly Hotaling, Lopez and freshman Keri Meslar finished sixth at the event in a time of 20:10.6.
The fall season for the Lady Vol rowing team was a successful one as the Varsity 4+ won four races and compiled a record of 108-1. The Varsity 8+ finished with 69 wins offset by 21 losses while the Varsity Pairs went 25-4 during the fall. The success of the fall would act as a springboard as the team entered the spring season.
Before the spring got underway, the team had to pack up some boxes and move across the river to their new $2.5 million dollar boathouse - signifying that the rowing team had finally arrived in Knoxville. For the first time in the six years of the program, the Lady Vol rowing team had a place to call home and no longer had to travel to Oak Ridge for home competitions.
The new boathouse was christened on St. Patrick's Day in a dual meet against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. An unwritten rule in college lore is that you don't compete against the Irish on March 17, and unfortunately the Tennessee rowing team found that out first hand as Notre Dame defeated them in all six races competed on the Tennessee River. In every race the Orange and White finished second, with the closest match-up being the 2nd Novice 8+ falling 3.3 seconds short of the Irish shell.
The next week the Big Orange worked on their speed and technique as they geared up for the second trip of the year to Clemson, S.C., to compete in a dual meet against Duke and the host Tigers. The hard week of practices paid handsome dividends, as UT defeated Duke in three of four races, but were only able to defeat Clemson once. The 2nd Novice 8+ once again shined on the water as it was the only UT boat to record wins over both the Tigers and Blue Devils, rowing to first in a time of 7:25.6. The Varsity 8+ and 2nd Varsity 8+ each finished in second in times of 6:43.2 and 6:58.1, respectively.
Back at home, the Lady Vols were determined to christen their new dwelling properly this time as they took on the Louisville Cardinals. The Orange and White were victorious in every race and took home second in every race but one. The Varsity 4+ returned to its winning ways crossing the line in 7:30.6 as its "sister" shell finished six seconds behind. The Varsity 8+ shells occupied the top two spots in times of 6:35.2 and 6:48.7, while the novice teams picked up their first victories of the year as the Novice 8+ won in a time of 7:06.2 and the Novice 4+ captured first in 7:56.0.
Embarking on one of the longest road trips in school history proved to be worth the effort the University of Tennessee's Varsity 8+ came back from the San Diego Crew Classic with a second-place finish. On the previous day, the team of Twedt, Kueck, Montgomery, Kraiss, Harrington, Bradley and Lindsay Sagar earned the number one seed in the Grand Final when they finished first in a time of 6:45.51. Competing against shells from Kansas State, Gonzaga, North Carolina and Southern California in the Grand Final of the Women's Cal Cup, the eight crossed the line in second at a clip of 7:19.63. The Big Orange's other shell, consisting of McMahon, Moore, Claire Newton, Kranzke, Kay Logan, Lopez, freshman Mackenzie Earle, BeVille and Hotaling, finished fifth in its heat and earned the number one seed of the Third Final. Unfortunately, inclement weather wiped out that race.
There was no rest for the weary, as the Lady Vols were in Bloomington, Ind., the next week competing in the Indiana Cup against Notre Dame, Purdue and Indiana. The Varsity 4+ avenged an earlier defeat to the Fighting Irish and claimed first in its race in a time of 7:56.9. This marked the first time the squad of Lizzie Brown, Sarah Long, Fecher, Zajac and Mary Gruzalski had raced together. The Varsity 8+ and 2nd Varsity 8+ finished second in their respective races while the 2nd Novice 8+ finished third.
A week later the Big Orange traveled to Oak Ridge, to compete in the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Championships, which would serve as a precursor for the Lexus Central Sprints three weeks later. The Lady Vols recorded their best finish in school history by finishing third overall in the team competition. Four out of six boats advanced to the Grand Finals on Sunday, with the 2nd Varsity 8 recording the best finish coming in second behind Clemson in a time of 7:10.6. That squad was also the number one seed as it claimed its heat at a clip of 7:08.78. The 2nd Novice 8+ was also able to capture second in a time of 7:34.48. The Varsity 8+ finished first in its heat (6:56.08) and second in its semifinal (7:11.37), but finished sixth in the Grand Final (7:14.22). The Varsity 4+ had similar success by finishing second in both the heats and the semifinals, but fell to fifth in the Grand Final.
The last event of the year for the Lady Vol rowing team would be the Lexus Central/South Sprints that took place in Oak Ridge. Among the 17 teams participating were ranked foes Michigan, Ohio State, Clemson, Texas, North Carolina, Duke and Notre Dame. This year's sprints had a unique format as teams from both the Central and South region competed in a series of races for the chance to qualify for the NCAA Championships. The Orange and White finished fourth in the South Region standings as the 2nd Novice 8+ picked up UT's only points of the two-day affair by finishing second in the Grand Final in a time of 7:23.8. In addition to that boat's success, the Varsity 4+ finished third, while the 2nd Varsity 8+ placed second in their respective Petite Finals.
The Lady Vol rowing team finished the 2000-01 season with several landmark accomplishments. It saw its Varsity 8+ team compile a win total over 100, including securing five victories during the year. The Orange and White also opened its new $2.5 million dollar boathouse on the waters of the Tennessee River. At the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships, the Big Orange recorded a school-best third place finish.
Success was also enjoyed off the water, as 37 rowers were named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and the Varsity 4+ was named Lady Vol Athlete of the Week for the week of Nov. 6, 2000. At the end of the season, Montgomery was chosen First-Team All-South Region, while Harrington, Kueck, and Kristen Logan earned second-team recognition. Seven Lady Vols were also named National Rowing Scholar Athletes by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association for achieving a GPA higher of 3.5 and rowing in 75% of the teams' races. Among the honorees were Twedt, Bradley, Harrington, Kraiss, Kueck, Montgomery and Smith.
Having tasted success both on and off the water this past year, Glenn and her coaching staff are looking forward to seeing all those smiling but tired faces again this August when they continue toward their goal.
