The University of Wisconsin women’s open-weight rowing team kicked off their weekend competition at the 2025 Big Ten Invitational on Friday, April 18 and Saturday, April 19, at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Fla.
Facing elite crews from across the conference, the Badgers took on two full days of racing and showcased what they will be contributing to the Big Ten Championships.
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Day one recap — Friday, April 18
Each Wisconsin boat took on 2000-meter races, with most competing in two rounds throughout the day. One of the standout moments came from the Third Varsity Four boat during their second race. After posting an initial time of 8:07.058, the lineup saw key substitutions that led to a major improvement.
Sophomore Kylie Beauchamp stepped in as coxswain, joining junior Eva McKinley, who remained in the stroke seat, while freshman Sylvia Freidenrich and sophomore Ava Heinz were added in seats three and two. Senior Darya Pronina remained in the bow seat. With the new lineup, the crew dropped nearly ten seconds, finishing with an impressive time of 7:57.448.
The First Varsity Eight kicked off the day’s events, placing sixth in both of their heats. The first race clocked a 6:41.797 and later improved their time to 6:35.427. The boat featured senior Nora Clements as coxswain and junior Sophia Gruenling setting the pace in stroke seat. They were followed by seniors Kylie Magnus (seat 7), Oone Zilavy (seat 6), Jordan Morrissey (seat 5), Macy Mosner (seat 4) and Sophia Ortega (seat 3). Juniors Madison Stack (seat 2) and Anna Mueller were at the bow seat.
The Second Varsity Eight showed consistency throughout the day, also placing sixth in both races. Coxed by sophomore Emma Hefner, the Badgers posted times of 7:01.229 and 7:04.300. The lineup included junior Grace Fragakis (stroke), sophomore Bella Moore (seat 7), juniors Tristen Gallo (seat 6), Jacki Szelagowski (seat 5), Kira Funk (seat 4), senior Jadyn Schensky (seat 3) and juniors Marian Cracraft (seat 2) and Josie Reeve (bow).
In the four-person boats, the First Varsity Four, coxed by Chloe Powell, placed back-to-back sixth-place finishes, with their time improving from 7:53.358 to 7:42.656. The lineup featured senior Aliza Korman (stroke), graduate student Morgan Jensema (seat 3), senior Evelyn Schauer (seat 2) and sophomore Kylie Silus (bow).
The Second Varsity Four faced similar results to their teammates, also placing sixth in both races with times of 7:45.216 and 7:42.534. This Wisconsin lineup was coxed by sophomore Carly Banker, with junior Ella Peterson (stroke), sophomore Ava Heinz (seat 3), junior Lauren Braun (seat 2) and senior Fiona Campbell (bow).
The Badgers concluded the day with two novice eight boats, giving this group of freshman rowers a valuable opportunity to gain racing experience and get a taste of Big Ten competition.
The Third Varsity Eight and First Novice Eight, coxed by freshman Addison Bauer, placed sixth in both races. Freshman Maggie Johnson set the rhythm in stroke seat, backed by freshman Celia Fujita (seat 7), freshman Ashley Grancorvitz (seat 6), freshman Lilia Graves (seat 5), freshman Madison Branse (seat 4), freshman Kaise Lindfors (seat 3), freshman Piper Garcia Hall (seat 2) and freshman Gretchen Bedner in the bow.
Fujita and Branse, newly committed to the Wisconsin program, gave strong performances. Their times were 7:17.155 and 7:24.188.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Varsity Eight and Second Novice Eight earned one of the higher rankings of the day. Racing against other young crews, they placed fifth in their first race with a time of 7:35.622 and went on to secure a third-place finish in their second heat with a time of 7:44.168.
The crew featured all freshmen walk-on Badgers competing in their first Big Ten Invitational — coxswain Jamie Nick, Mikayla Beglinger (stroke seat), Gabrielle Kapke (seat 7), Cassie Nemecek (seat 6), Ella Solin (seat 5), sophomore Madison Grover (seat 4), Sophia Suchocki (seat 3), Anna Garrison (seat 2) and Siri Stolen (bow seat).
Day two recap — Saturday, April 19
On the second day of the 2025 Big Ten Invitational, the UW women’s rowing team faced another tough day of competition. Despite a few times increases across several boats, the Badgers continued to gain valuable experience as they tested their grit against some of the best teams in the nation. The spotlight of the day once again belonged to the Third Varsity Four boat, which delivered the most impressive performance of the weekend.
The First Varsity Eight, which had finished sixth in both of their races on day one, found themselves in a similar position on day two. While their 6:47.691 was slightly higher than the previous day’s time, their ranking remained stable in sixth place. Despite not securing a top position, the crew displayed strong technique.
The Second Varsity Eight also placed sixth in their day two races. Their time of 7:17.563 was slightly slower than their performance on day one.
The First Varsity Four, which had placed sixth in their previous race, saw another challenging race on day two. Giving it their all, they crossed the finish line with a time of 7:57.628, again securing sixth place.
The Second Varsity Four also faced time challenges, finishing with a slight increase to 8:01.751. Though they placed sixth in their heat, there was a strong effort.
After a strong showing on Day One, the Third Varsity Four crew continued to impress, shaving off another three seconds from their previous time. They completed their race in 8:04.719, securing second place.
As the day continued, the Third Varsity Eight and First Novice Eight crews faced slight time increases, but their performance reflected their hard work and perseverance. The boat crossed the line in 7:18.835, securing a sixth-place finish in their heat.
In the Fourth Varsity Eight and Second Novice Eight race, the boat also experienced a time increase, finishing with 7:56.765, placing sixth in their heat.
Looking ahead to the Big Ten Championships
Magnus raced as the seventh seat in the First Varsity Eight boat, and had some big takeaways from this weekend.
“The competition is tough, and we need to step it up in these next few weeks before the Big Ten Championship,” Magnus said. “The results were not what we were hoping for, but they add fuel to the fire and have inspired us to push for more both on and off the water.
Despite mixed results on day two, the Badgers embraced the two-day competition as a chance to go head-to-head with their conference rivals, gain valuable race experience and lay the groundwork for a stronger showing at the Big Ten Championships on May 18.