FOR the first time in the event’s history, the University Championships of Ireland rowing regatta was won overall by the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) Boat Club.
The regatta, which took place at the National Rowing Centre in Farran Woods, Cork, on Friday April 13th may have proved slightly unlucky for last year’s Wylie Cup (Men’s Senior 8) winners, UCD, who lost out to Trinity (DUBC) by a mere second in the same competition this year, with University College Cork placing an admirable third.
However, a little bit of luck along with a combination of sheer hard work and determination, particularly among their women, gave NUIG the success they deserved, winning seven races outright, including the Bank of Ireland Cup in the Women’s Senior 8’s and the recently donated Old Collegian’s Cup for the overall regatta winners.
NUIG head coach and Connacht development coach for Rowing Ireland, Dave Mannion, said: “We’re delighted with our success today, especially with the performance of the ladies’ crews who put in stellar efforts on the water. The men still have a bit of work to do, so it’s good to see them placing but the women have worked so hard all year, it’s great to see the effort they’ve made is now paying dividends.
“It means an awful lot to us at NUIG to win the overall competition but that’s what we set out to do and all the athletes’ performances contributed to getting that objective across the line.”
Other notable performances came from the Trinity (DUBC) who won the men’s senior 8’s, men’s intermediate coxed 4’s, and the men’s intermediate 8’s to place second overall; while UCC won the men’s club coxed 4’s, men’s senior single sculls (Fintan McCarthy), women’s senior pair, with single scullers Lydia Heaphy and Selma Bouanne winning the women’s intermediate and senior x1 races respectively.
UCD showed their strength winning the men’s senior coxless 4s and pairs, as well as both the men’s and women’s novice 8’s, however the university failed to rank in the regatta’s overall top three.
Event secretary, Andrew Coleman, said the regatta was a championships regatta was a fantastic success with calm conditions and dry weather throughout the day and “the universities worked very well together” to devise a timetable that worked for everyone. Almost every university or college won at least one race, with University of Limerick taking the men’s intermediate single sculls and men’s novice coxed quads, which Queen’s University Belfast secured wins in the women’s novice coxed quads and the men’s intermediate double sculls.
RESULTS - 2018 University Championships of Ireland
Men’s club eights: 1. DUBC, 2. NUIG, 3. UCC, 4. QUBBC, 5. UCDBC, 6. DIT
Men’s senior fours: 1. UCDBC, 2. UCC, 3. NUIG, 4. CIT, 5. DUBC
Women’s intermediate double sculls: 1. NUIG, 2. QUBLBC, 3. DULBC B 4. ULRC, 5. DULBC A
Men’s intermediate single sculls: 1. Mannix (ULRC), 2. Hull (QUBBC), 3. Carmody (ULBC), 4. Dolphin (UCDBC), 5. McCarthy (CIT), 6. McNamee (QUBBC)
Women’s club coxed fours: 1. NUIG A, 2. NUIG B, 3. DULBC A, 4. UCC, 5. QUBLBC, 6. DULBC B
Men’s intermediate eights: 1. DUBC, 2. UCDBC, 3. UCC, 4. NUIG, 5. QUBBC
Women’s senior fours: 1. NUIG, 2. UCC, 3. DULBC A, 4. QUBLBC, 5. DULBC B
Women’s novice eights: 1. UCDBC, 2. QUBLBC A, 3. QUBLBC B, 4. DULBC
Men’s senior pairs: 1. UCDBC, 2. NUIG, 3. QUBBC, 4. CIT, 5. DUBC
Men’s senior single sculls: 1. McCarthy (UCC), 2. Goff (UCDBC), 3. Byrne (UCC), 4. Oliver (QUBBC), 5. Whittle (NUIG), Buckley (GMIT)
Men’s novice eights: 1. UCDBC A, 2. DUBC A, 3. QUBBC A, 4. QUBBC B, 5. UCDBC B
Women’s club eights: 1. NUIG, 2. QUBLBC, 3. UCDBC A, 4. ULRC, 5. DULBC, 6. UCDBC B
Women’s novice coxed quads: 1. QUBLBC B, 2. ULRC, 3. DULBC, 4. UCC, 5. QUBLBC A
Women’s intermediate single sculls: 1. Heaphy (UCC), 2. Nolan (NUIG), 3. Ferrick (DCU), 4. McBrinn (QUBLBC), 5. Ni Ghriofa (GMIT)
Men’s club coxed fours: 1. UCC, 2. NUIG, 3. DIT, 4. QUBBC, 5. UCDBC
Women’s senior pairs: 1. UCC, 2. NUIG A, 3. NUIG B, 4. UCDBC
Women’s senior single sculls: 1. Bouanane (UCC), 2. Heaphy (UCC), 3. Nolan (NUIG)
Women’s intermediate eights: 1. NUIG, 2. DULBC A, 3. QUBLBC, 4. DULBC B
Men’s intermediate double sculls: 1. QUBBC, 2. DIT, 3. GMIT, 4. ULRC, 5. NUIG
Men’s novice coxed quads: 1. ULRC, 2. DIT, 3. QUBBC, 4. DCU, 5. DUBC
Men’s intermediate coxed fours: 1. DUBC, 2. UCC, 3. DIT, 4. NUIG, 5. QUBBC, 6. UCDBC
Women’s intermediate coxed fours: 1. NUIG A, 2. NUIG B, 3. ULRC, 4. UCC, 5. QUBLBC
Men’s senior eights: 1. DUBC, 2. UCD, 3.UCC, 4.
Women’s senior eights: 1. NUIG, 2. UCD, 2. QUBBC
