Chelsea Simpson, Gunnery crew alumna ’08 and her University of Virginia teammates captured their first ever NCAA Rowing Championship title this past Sunday, May 30th, at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center on Lake Natoma. The UVA Cavaliers finished the day with a team total of 87 points, ahead of The University of California (82 points), Princeton University (76 points), Stanford University (75 points) and Brown University (71 points). The team victory was clinched by Chelsea and her teammates in the varsity four (coxswain Sarah Pichardo, Ruth Retzinger, Hunter Terry and Inge Janssen) who won their race, capping off an undefeated season with the national championship title.
Advancing easily through the heats and semi-finals, the UVA Varsity Four set the pace for the final racing from the very beginning, with a length of open water on the field at the 500-meter mark. The Cavaliers increased their lead to a length over second place California by the 1000 and went on to win the race by 6 seconds with a time of 7:07.98. For complete times and results go to www.jamcotimes.com.
A three-year varsity rower in her time at The Gunnery, Chelsea led her team to their strongest season on record in her senior year as captain and stroke of the first varsity four. “We are very proud of Chelsea’s victory. It is a great opportunity for our rowers to see their former teammates compete successfully on a national level,” says Gunnery girls’ coach Elizabeth McColloch. Also competing in the NCAA Championships in Sacramento last weekend was Cassidy Goepel ’08 who rows for Ithaca College. The Ithaca team tied for third in the Division III points trophy behind Williams College and Bates College.