July 5, 2012
This summer, GoTerriers.com is counting down the top 12 achievements of Boston University teams and student-athletes in 2011-12. Check back each Monday and Thursday as we reveal this year's Terrier Twelve.
Coming in at No. 12 in the Terrier Twelve is the Boston University men's crew's thrilling postseason run, highlighted by the varsity eight boat defeating perennial power California on two occasions during the IRA National Championship Regatta en route to a sixth-place showing.
The Terriers' varsity eight boat coxed by senior Bobby McGee and stroked by junior Matthew Given had an uneven dual season in which they won two cups (Lusins Cup v. Columbia, Bill Cup v. Dartmouth) after claiming a school-record five cup victories in 2011.
Despite three difficult losses, including a 0.6 second defeat to Wisconsin in the Jablonic Cup race, the men never lost confidence and pulled together at the Eastern Sprints. Seeded ninth, they faced No. 3 Navy, No. 4 Wisconsin and No. 10 Yale in the morning heat with the top two advancing to the Grand Final. The top three seeded crews battled down-to-the-wire with the Terriers finishing behind Navy by a slim 0.27-second margin and Wisconsin by 0.9 seconds.
Sent to the Petite Final, BU had zero time to reflect on the heartbreaking loss, as the Terriers needed to finish in the top three to clinch a berth for the IRAs. They left nothing to chance by winning the event in convincing fashion and avenging an earlier defeat to Northeastern by 2.6 seconds. The men also finished ahead of No. 5 Cornell by 3.1 seconds.
Entering the IRAs with confidence and the knowledge they could compete with the best, BU gave notice on the first day of the three-day regatta that it was a team not to be underestimated. The varsity eight boat defeated No. 4 California by 1.8 seconds in the first heat to avoid the repechage and advance directly to the semifinals in a stunning upset.
Needing to place in the top three of its semifinal race to reach the Grand Final, the Terriers finished ahead of the 2010 varsity eight national champion Bears by six seconds for their second consecutive win over Cal during the IRAs. More importantly, they exacted their revenge on Wisconsin and Navy for the Eastern Sprints by eliminating both squads from advancing to the Grand Final.
Finishing sixth overall, the varsity eight boat reached its first Grand Final since 2009 and the program's third overall dating back to 2005.
Coxed by Lauren Harvey and stroked by Tim Giroux, the freshman eight boat also had a strong postseason run, which included a Petite Final victory at the Eastern Sprints and a second-place showing in the Petite Final at the IRAs.
With the varsity eight, second varsity eight, freshman eight and varsity four boats all placing in the top 12 at the national championship regatta, BU under fourth-year head coach Thomas Bohrer took seventh overall in the team standings. They topped 11 other squads, including Wisconsin, Syracuse, Navy, Yale, Stanford and Northeastern.
