Rowing finishes second at Big 12 Championships Sunday

Olivia Harvey, Contributing Writer

The Alabama Crimson Tide women’s rowing team competed in the Big 12 Championships on Decker Lake in Austin, Texas, on Sunday.

After a month of not competing, the Crimson Tide placed second for the second season in a row. 

Alabama faced off against various teams, including front runner, Texas. Others included Tennessee, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma and West Virginia. Overall, the Crimson Tide had a successful competition.

Freshmen Bridget Barnett, Piper Davignon, Julia Cullen and grad student Jorja Macrae placed second in the 2V4+, moving past Tennessee and crossing the finish line with a time of 7:55.061.

Rachel Fuller, Lauren Lowe, Rachael Tullis and Emma Burnley also placed second in the 1V4+, finishing with a 7:54.922 time. 

Alabama finished with five medals, two silver and three bronze, along with a 3V4+ exhibition against Texas, placing second.

Crimson Tide head coach Glenn Putyrae explained that it was a great morning for the team, and that his team just took part in the most challenging competition yet.

“We saw some of our best performances of the year today and all of our crews raced with grit and pushed all the way down the racecourse for each other,” Putyrae said. “We now have to wait and see if we did enough to earn an invite to NCAA’s. Texas has been great all season and has posted some really impressive margins against everyone they raced. If this was our last race of the season, we are proud of this team and grateful to all our seniors and grad students who have helped establish this program as consistently one of the best in the Big 12.”

Now, the NCAA Championships are on the line and Alabama will find out Tuesday, May 17 if it has been selected to compete. 

The NCAA Championships will take place May 27-29 at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida.