CHERRY HILL, NJ – The Skidmore College rowing teams hit the road for their first away race of the season, competing at the Knecht Cup in Cherry Hill, N.J. The team sent four eights—both the First Varsity (1V) and Second Varsity (2V) crews on the men's and women's sides—to race in the two-day regatta.

MEN'S RECAP
The men's 1V and 2V boats entered a 14-boat event, with heats on Saturday and finals on Sunday. The winner of each heat advanced directly to the Grand Final, while the next three fastest times filled out the remaining spots. The 7th through 12th fastest crews moved on to the Petite Final, while the 13th and 14th fastest were eliminated after Day 1.

The men's 1V won their heat with a time of 6:37, finishing six seconds ahead of Ithaca. The 2V placed third in their heat, ahead of Milwaukee School of Engineering, clocking the 11th-fastest time overall and earning a spot in the Petite Final.

On Sunday, the men's 2V faced St. Mary's A and B, Washington College, Case Western, and Franklin & Marshall in the Petite Final. Skidmore crossed the line in 6:45, securing 11th place overall. St. Mary's A won the Petite Final with a time of 6:34.

Shortly after, in the Grand Final, the 1V engaged in a thrilling back-and-forth race with Trinity College. Neither crew held more than a seat's lead throughout the entire 2,000 meters. In the final sprint, Skidmore edged out Trinity by 0.49 seconds to take the win. Ithaca, Catholic, Trinity B, and MSOE rounded out the field.

WOMEN'S RECAP
The women competed in a 16-boat field under the same format as the men's event. Crews needed either to win their heat or post one of the 12 fastest times to advance to Sunday's finals.

The Skidmore women's 1V won their heat in dominant fashion, finishing 10 seconds ahead of Washington College, whose time was 7:54.64. The 2V placed third in their heat with a time of 7:54.08. In a narrow margin, the 2V edged out Washington College B to earn a place in the Grand Final.

On Sunday, the 1V jumped out to an early lead in the Grand Final and never looked back, claiming victory by 3.24 seconds over nationally ranked No. 11 St. Mary's. The 2V battled for fourth but ultimately finished fifth overall with a time of 7:33.49, just behind Washington College.

COACH'S COMMENTS
"We are incredibly fortunate to host regattas in Saratoga," said Head Coach Manny Valentin. "Anytime we travel, it inevitably throws us off our rhythm and routines. The athletes did a great job staying focused and stepped up when they needed to. We're always in search of more speed, and the team did an excellent job executing their race plans and coming out on top this weekend."

UP NEXT
The Thoroughbreds return to Fish Creek on Saturday, April 19, to compete at the New York State Championships.