Sooners Post Top-Five Finishes at Head of the Hooch

Head of the Hooch Championship 8+
3rd	Oklahoma A 1V8	15:24.343
5th	Oklahoma B 2V8	15:36.749

NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma rowing team began racing Saturday at the 38th annual Head of the Hooch in Chattanooga, Tenn.

OU's varsity eight boats posted two top-five finishes in the Sooners' lone action of the day. OU's first varsity eight (C: Denney, S: King, 7: McKay, 6: Steele, 5: Ilic, 4: Batchev, 3: Smith, 2: Williams, B: Molina) turned in a third-place finish in the women's Championship 8+ racing, crossing the line in 15:24.343. They were followed closely by the Sooners' 2V8 (C: O'Neill, S: Guild, 7: Allman, 6: Templin, 5: Poljak, 4: Della Valle, 3: Mercuri, 2: Pilz, B: Pasque) in 15:36.749 for a fifth-place spot.

"I am proud of the results we had today," said OU head coach Leeanne Crain. "It's always a challenge to start at the back of the pack because you have to deal with navigating through a lot of slower boat traffic. Our coxswains did an amazing job. Our "B" boat was further challenged when they lost their skag halfway through the race and managed to finish with a pretty strong result."

OU's first varsity eight was less than five seconds from second-place, while the 2V8 finished four seconds out of fourth place. The Sooners raced against fellow conference member Alabama and boats from the ACC in Louisville and North Carolina.

After a fog delay Saturday morning pushed racing times back, OU's second scheduled race of the day, the women's Championship 4+, was cancelled. OU will return to the water in Chattanooga on Sunday with four boats competing in open pairs competition at 11:45 a.m. CT.

For more information on Oklahoma Rowing, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Rowing).

HEAD OF THE HOOCH LINEUPS

1 Varsity 8+ OU "A"

C. Katherine Denney

S. Serafina King

7. Breah McKay

6. Erin Steele

5. Natasa Ilic