Varsity Eight Earns Bronze Medals at Knecht Cup

Saturday, April 11

Pennsauken, N.J. (Cooper River)

All Day

Bucknell University

Knecht Cup

4/12/2026 5:48:00 PM | Women's Rowing

RESULTS

CHERRY HILL, N.J. – Bucknell's Varsity Eight captured bronze medals to cap off an outstanding weekend at the 27th Annual Knecht Cup on the Cooper River. The top Bison boat finished behind only Radcliffe and UMass in the Grand Final, taking third place among the 40 Varsity Eight entrants.

The Bison 1V8+ started the weekend with an open-water victory over runner-up Georgetown in Saturday afternoon's heats. Bucknell finished in 6:49.28, 10 seconds ahead of the Patriot League rival Hoyas. Monmouth, Canisius, George Mason, and Robert Morris were well back.

Winning the heat qualified the team for the semifinal round, and Bucknell came back early Sunday morning to win the first of the three semis. Needing a top-two finish to earn a spot in the Grand Final, the Bison (7:10.19) nosed out Temple (7:10.98) by about two seat lengths. MIT finished third, seven seconds back, followed by Connecticut, Holy Cross, and Old Dominion.

Radcliffe, UMass, and Bucknell separated from the pack in the final, and the Bison took third in 6:55.07, more than six seconds faster than Boston College. Temple and Patriot League rival Boston University rounded out the field. Radcliffe took the gold medals in 6:50.08, with UMass second in 6:53.05.

Bucknell's 1V8+ was coxed by senior Hattie Hopper and stroked by sophomore Evelyn Sherman. Logan Moore, Sadye Levensten, Caroline Cawley, Kalena Gatesman, Frances Butterfield, Callie VonderHaar, and Colby Bernard powered the boat, which is coming off a Patriot League Boat of the Week citation after beating Drexel and George Washington last weekend on the Schuylkill River.

Varsity Eight Knecht Cup Bronze Medals

Bucknell's Second Varsity Eight also had a strong showing at the Knecht Cup. The Bison finished third in their preliminary heat on Saturday, trailing Boston College and MIT while finishing ahead of Wisconsin and Mercyhurst. That qualified them for the Fourth Final on Sunday, and Bucknell won that race in convincing fashion. Their time of 7:16.95 was seven seconds ahead of Colgate, with Wisconsin, UAlbany, La Salle, and Fairfield rounding out the field.

The Bison also had a Third Varsity Eight in action, and that boat placed fifth in its Saturday heat, ahead of George Mason and behind Boston College, Wisconsin, MIT, and Delaware.

The Bison will now have two more competitions leading up to the Patriot League Championships, which will be back on the Cooper River on May 15. Bucknell will race Cornell, Rhode Island, and Delaware on Apr. 18 in Ithaca, N.Y., and the Bison will return to the Women's Sprints in Worcester, Mass., on May 3.

BUCKNELL KNECHT CUP LINEUPS

Varsity Eight
Cox: Hattie Hopper
Stroke: Evelyn Sherman
7: Logan Moore
6: Sadye Levensten
5: Caroline Cawley
4: Kalena Gatesman
3: Frances Butterfield
2: Callie VonderHaar
Bow: Colby Bernhard

Second Varsity Eight
Cox: Bella Guzman
Stroke: Caroline Corbett
7: Victoria Miller-Tuchon
6: Clara Eikeboom
5: Abaigeal Robertson
4: Rosemary Ostrowski
3: Campbell Coonley
2: Morgan Brill
1: Kennedy Narine

Third Varsity Eight
Cox: Smith Bumpers
Stroke: Kaitlyn Furtney
7: Amelia Smith
6: Ryan Cowell
5: Emma Kammann
4: Margaret Greenberg
3: Lily Francoeur
2: Grace Pepper
1: Eliza Horne