July 23, 2013
This summer, GoTerriers.com is counting down the top 12 achievements of Boston University teams and student-athletes in 2012-13. Check back each Tuesday and Friday as we reveal this year's Terrier Twelve.
Coming in at No. 6 in this year’s Terrier Twelve is the women’s rowing team winning the CAA Championship and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Championships.
Entering the final race at the CAAs, the Terriers' varsity eight boat needed a first place finish for the Terriers to win the overall team championship. The V8 boat, coxed by junior Sarah Specht and stroked by senior Caroline Kimberly, delivered in dramatic fashion by defeating rival Northeastern by two seconds to give the Terriers a total of 32 points, enough to earn the CAA crown and the coveted automatic trip to the NCAAs.
Earlier in the day, the Terriers' second varsity eight boat, coxed by sophomore Eline Vermeulen and stroked by freshman Emily Lerhe, finished second in its race behind Buffalo but ahead of third-place finisher Northeastern by five seconds. The varsity four boat also did its part by finishing third in their race. Coxed by freshman Rachel Cohn and stroked by classmate Liv Wihtol, the V4 boat finished two seconds ahead of the fourth-place finisher Buffalo to earn much needed points.
The three boats combined for 32 points on the day to finish in first place followed by Northeastern with 29 and Buffalo with 27.
The Terriers headed to the NCAAs in Indianapolis looking for the program’s sixth national championship title and first since 1992. BU had previously made six appearances at the NCAAs with the last at-large bid coming in 2006 for the varsity eight boat.
Highlighted by two boats reaching their respective C Final, the Terriers finished 18th overall, enduring poor weather conditions at Eagle Creek Park that resulted in multiple postponements during the regatta.
In its semifinal race, the varsity eight boat, coxed by junior Sarah Specht and stroked by senior Caroline Kimberly, needed a top-three finish to reach the C Final. Battling rough conditions, the Terriers finished third with a time of 7:47.418, four seconds ahead of Patriot League champion Navy and six seconds ahead of West Coast Conference champion Gonzaga. The varsity eight boat finished sixth in the C Final with a time of 6:50.575, just 0.3 seconds behind Oklahoma’s top boat.
In its semifinal race, the second varsity eight boat coxed by sophomore Eline Vermeulen and stroked by freshman Emily Lerhe defeated Navy by three seconds and Rhode Island by five seconds to clinch a berth in the C Final. The Terriers followed up with a sixth-place result.
Featuring five freshmen, the varsity four boat coxed by Rachel Cohn and stroked by Liv Wihtol missed out on the C Final by 10 seconds to Harvard but bounced back with a second-place result in the D Final. Navy edged the Terriers by 2.5 seconds for the win.
Guided by 2013 CAA coach of the year Stacey Rippetoe, the Terriers will next hit the water in the fall as a member of the Patriot League. Gold medalists at the CAA Championship and winner of the bronze at the Eastern Sprints, the varsity eight boat will be losing three seniors to graduation.
The Terrier Twelve
No. 7 - Two Wrestlers Reach Top of CAA Podium
No. 8 - Golf Team Completes Best Season in Program History
No. 9 - All-Americans, Save % Champ Pace Field Hockey
No. 10 - Third Place Finish at Eastern Sprints Highlights Men's Rowing Season
No. 11 - Parker Era Closes with Hockey East Run
No. 12 - Men's Basketball Develops Into Postseason Squad
