CHERRY HILL, N.J. – The No. 7 ranked Marietta College women's rowing team won both the varsity 8+ and the second varsity 8+ races at the 2012 Knecht Cup Sunday (April 15) on the Cooper River. The Pioneers' varsity 4+ shell finished fifth. [Results]

“The varsity 8 race was a great one,” Marietta Head Coach Kelly Harris said. “I am proud of how our crew raced internally and focused on winning with our plan. I look forward to gaining speed in the next two weeks as we prepare to defend our MARC championship.”

The varsity 8+ race turned into a duel between the Pioneers and Washington College. An extremely close race for the entire 2,000-meters, Marietta edged Washington by 1.03 seconds, barely a deck length.

Marietta crossed the line in 6:44.30, while Washington posted a time of 6:45.33. The third place shell was a distant 18 seconds behind the leaders.

“This crew is becoming more and more seasoned with every race,” Harris said. “It's awesome to see two fast crews coming out of our region this year.

Coxswain Megan Oxley (Clarksburg, N.J./Allentown) piloted the winning shell with Abigail Klicker (Avalon Borough, Pa./Northgate) in the stroke position, Hailey Ellis (New Albany/New Albany), Kelli Barnette (Parkersburg, W.Va./South), Stephanie Meinert (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel Area), Ricci Davis (Marietta/Marietta), Trisha Wendel (Chagrin Falls/Kenston), Bridget Dean (Rochester, Minn./Mayo) and Alyse McNeill (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler Area) in the bow seat.

Marietta's second varsity 8+ shell won convincingly with more than 30 seconds of open water over Rochester. The Pioneers completed the course in 7:05.90, while Rochester finished in 7:39.50.

The Pioneers sat coxswain Laura Sterzinger (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Catholic), stroke Taryn Wilson (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa), Alycia Kime (Sicklerville, N.J./Winslow Township), Kelly Moses (Lyndhurst/Brush), Anja Curwen (Carlisle Pa./St. Bouaventure), Erika Gill (Copley/Copley), Shannon Johnston (Arlington, Va./Yorktown), Katherine Tedesco (Upper Arlington/Upper Arlington), and bow Hannah Platt (Potomac, Md./Walt Whitman) in the second varsity 8 shell.

The third Marietta boat to race in Sunday's finals was the varsity 4+. The Pioneers placed fifth in the race with a time of 8:26.01 just ahead of Carnegie Mellon. Bryn Mawr won with a time of 7:50.27.

“The women came off the line well and remained in contention with the lead crews for the first 1,000 meters,” Marietta Assistant Coach Phil Schmehl said. “From their it became a duel with Carnegie Mellon. We were able to hold them off through the line. Now it is time to prepare for the MARC championship in two weeks.”

The Pioneers' lineup for the varsity 4+ included coxswain Liz Luckenbaugh (Akron/Our Lady of the Elms), stroke Christina Beltran-Revilla (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel Area), Anja Curwen (Carlisle Pa./St. Bouaventure), Regina Collette (Columbus/Metro) and bow Megan Johannes (Bowie, Md./Elizabeth Seton).

Marietta takes next weekend off and will be back on the water Saturday, April 28 at the Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference Championship in Lewisberry, Pa. The Pioneers will be looking to defend their 2011 MARC title.