Tight Racing and Dominating Performances at FIRA, Sunshine State, & IRA Sarasota Invites
A busy slate of races in Sarasota this weekend delivered tight racing and dominating performance, as 38 different college teams from around the country converged on Nathan Benderson Park this past weekend. 16 Division I women’s teams competed in the Sunshine State Invitational as six of the top-10 men’s DI teams vied for the IRA Sarasota Invitational. Additionally, 16 in-state men’s and women’s teams also contested the Florida Intercollegiate Rowing Association state championship.
The University of Miami came away with the overall win in the Sunshine State Invitational, accruing 128 points, just ahead of UCF with 123 and Iowa with 121. Miami took first in the varsity eight, their first-ever win in the event after nearly a decade of competing at the regatta.
The University of Washington men, ranked third in IRCA/IRA Preseason Poll, won three of four races and earned the Benderson Cup for overall points champion. With wins in the second, third, and fourth varsity eights, the Huskies fell to Harvard by a mere 00.67 seconds in the first varsity eight. Stanford, featured in the latest issue of Rowing News, finished sixth in both the first and second varsity eights, the only two events they entered.
The Embry-Riddle men and women dominated the FIRA Championship, winning each of their respective championships and coming away together with the overall title. While the fifth-ranked women have won the state championship three of the last four years, this is the first championship for the men since 2018. The Eagles recorded a total of 254 points, more than double second place Jacksonville University, who only raced in the men’s events.
Full results for all three regattas can be found here.
Final Points Standings
Sunshine State Invite: Overall
1. Miami (128)
2. UCF (123)
3. Iowa (121)
4. UNC (105)
5. Michigan State (104)
6. Tulsa (99)
7. Boston College (98)
8. Jacksonville (81)
9. Kansas (81)
10. Louisville (80)
11. Kansas State (75)
12. Drexel (72)
13. Umass (71)
14. West Virginia (56)
15. Old Dominion (52)
16. Stetson (46)
FIRA: Men
1. ERAU (141)
2. JU (114)
3. Florida (44)
4. Rollins (27)
5. FIT (26)
6. CFR (23.25)
7. FSU (18.75)
FIRA: Women
1. ERAU (113)
2. Rollins (55)
3. Florida (47.75)
4. Tampa (41.5)
5. UCFC (39.75)
6. Nova (36)
7. FIT (25.5)
8. FSU (11)
9. Barry (4.5)
FIRA: Overall
ERAU (254)
JU (114)
Florida (91.75)
Rollins (82)
CFR (63)
FIT (51.5)
Tampa (41.5)
Nova (36)
FSU (29.75)
Barry (4.5)
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