Sooners Close Fall with Win in Chattanooga

Head of the Hooch Open 2-
1st	Batchev/McKay	17:48.432
3rd	Pasque/Williams	18:02.078
5th	Steele/Mercuri	18:13.135
6th	King/Ilic	18:23.258

NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma rowing team concluded fall competition on Sunday in Chattanooga, Tenn., at the 38th annual Head of the Hooch.

OU finished their weekend at the regatta with open pairs racing on Sunday afternoon. Four Sooners' boats raced in the women's open 2-, with three of the four recording top-five finishes and the fourth coming in sixth place out of 15 boats.

"Everyone did a nice job in the pairs," said OU head coach Leeanne Crain. "We haven't spent much time in small boats this fall so it was great to win gold and bronze in the event."

OU's "A" boat of Andrea Batchev and Breah McKay took home gold in the pairs racing, crossing the line in 17:48.432, almost three seconds faster than second-place Alabama. The OU "D" boat of Amy Pasque and Rachel Williams came in third to claim bronze, finishing in 18:02.078, while OU "C" (Erin Steele, Hailey Mercuri) placed fifth in 18:13.135. OU "B" (Serafina King, Natasa Ilic) came in sixth in 18:23.258.

On Saturday at the regatta, OU's varsity eight boats posted two top-five finishes. 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.

The Sooners conclude fall racing after solid performances at the Head of the Oklahoma, Head of the Charles, Jayhawk Jamboree and Head of the Hooch. OU will now wait to get back on the water for competition in the spring when the team hosts Kansas State and SMU for a scrimmage March 7 in Oklahoma City.

For updates and 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