No. 4 Radcliffe Lightweight Crew Claims Muri Cup

Coxswain Jana Douglas holds the Muri Cup, along with varsity oarswomen Marissa Reichel, Natalie Wong, Lizzy Bates, Kelly McCarthy, Emma Lukasiewicz, Elizabeth Hamilton, Erika McCormick and Amanda Pfabe

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—The Radcliffe lightweight crew defeated MIT and fell to Wisconsin in each of its three races in its final dual meet of the season Saturday morning on the Charles River, winning the second annual Muri Cup.

The fourth-ranked Black and White varsity eight (4-3) held a lead on the top-ranked Badgers (5-0) in the opening 500, but Wisconsin came back and used a strong second 1,000 meters to pull away. Radcliffe kept contact with the two-time defending national champion through 1,200 meters and went on to finish in 6:58.8, second to Wisconsin's time of 6:49.1. The Black and White topped No. 7 MIT (1-5) by nearly 17 seconds.

“I thought it was a very good performance,” said Radcliffe head coach Heather Cartwright. “Our first varsity improved their race from last weekend. They were very composed and internally focused. They just seem to be getting better day by day and week by week.”

The Radcliffe second varsity eight finished in 7:13.3, 22.6 seconds ahead of the Engineers. Wisconsin handed the Black and White its only loss against a fellow second varsity with a winning time of 6:54.3.

Wisconsin took first place in the varsity four in 7:42.7, while Radcliffe's two entries occupied the next two spots. The first Black and White boat crossed the line in 8:03.4, the second in 8:16.9. Both Radcliffe boats beat MIT by more than 25 seconds. 

Varsity Eight
Wisconsin 6:49.1
Radcliffe 6:58.8
MIT 7:15.6 

Second Varsity Eight
Wisconsin 6:54.3
Radcliffe 7:13.3
MIT 7:35.9

Varsity Four
Wisconsin 7:42.7
Radcliffe B 8:03.4
Radcliffe A 8:16.9
MIT 8:42.6

Radcliffe Lineups
Varsity Eight
Cox: Jana Douglas, 8: Marissa Reichel, 7: Natalie Wong, 6: Lizzy Bates, 5: Kelly McCarthy, 4: Emma Lukasiewicz, 3: Elizabeth Hamilton, 2: Erika McCormick, 1: Amanda Pfab

Second Varsity Eight|
Cox: Maryana Vrubel, 8: Grace Hollowell, 7: Charlotte Lane, 6: Lauren Brown, 5: Veronique Irwin, 4: Erin Flynn, 3: Medha Khandelwal, 2: Emily Boyd Walker, 1: Laurel Gabard-Durnam

Varsity Four B
Cox: Kyla Adler-McDonald, 4: Danielle Guillette, 3: Juliana Stone, 2: Corinne Wee, 1: Anna Mapes

Varsity Four A
Cox: Jorie Sullivan, 4: Lillian Alexander, 3: Andrea Henricks, 2: Kathleen Goodwin, 1: Emiko Zumbro