Lehigh rowing posts strong effort at Neuweiler Plate

Saturday, March 31

Pinchot State Park

10:00:00 AM

Lehigh University

Neuweiler Plate

Lehigh rowing posts strong effort at Neuweiler Plate

4/1/2012 3:02:00 AM | Men's Rowing, Women's Rowing

LEWISBERRY, Pa. - The Lehigh rowing team enjoyed a strong all-around effort on Saturday as the men's squad won the Neuweiler Plate while the women finished second. The Men's Varsity Eight, Men's Freshmen Eight and Women's Freshmen Eight all finished first to lead the charge, while three other boats placed second.

“I think overall, the day ended up really well,” said Lehigh head coach Brian Conley. “There were a couple crews that struggled in the morning races with the heats, but were able to turn it around for the finals and put themselves into good competitive position.”

Along with the first-place finishes, the Women's Varsity Eight, Women's Freshmen Four and Men's JV Eight all placed second while the Women's Varsity Four finished fifth and Men's Freshmen Eight sixth.

“Both men's and women's crews had to go through heats and finals,” said Conley. “Whenever you make a final, that's a great thing, especially against crews you don't normally see. The men were able to build a solid lead early and hold onto it. On the women's side, they faced Mercyhurst, which is always a fast crew. They were able to bring up our competitiveness and push our girls.”

Overall, Conley was pleased with the effort.

“It was a very solid day,” he said. “We had crews really step up and perform when we needed to. That's all you can ask out of a crew on race day.

“For the Men's Varsity Eight, it was a complete turnaround from last week,” he continued. “Women's Freshmen Eight dominated their race from start to finish. There was a 35 second gap between first and second. Then the Men's Freshmen Eight held off a hard-charging Penn State crew to take the win.”

Lehigh will enjoy a week off before returning to competition in two weekends at the Knecht Cup on Apr. 14 and 15.

Lehigh's Results

First Place

Men's Varsity Eight

Women's Freshmen Eight

Men's Freshmen Eight (A Entry)

Second Place

Women's Varsity Eight

Women's Freshmen Four

Men's JV Eight

Fifth Place

Women's Varsity Four