April 10, 1999
WASHINGTON, D.C. — One year after they won seven races en route to a George Washington University Invitational Crew Classic championship, the Virginia women’s rowing team swept all six events in this year’s event to claim first place honors once again. The Cavalier Varsity Eight, currently ranked second in the nation, blew away the competition, finishing with a time of 6:23. Today’s victory marked the fifth consecutive triumph for the varsity eight at the GWU Invitational.
The Cavaliers posted impressive times in each event, finishing ten seconds in front of the closest competition in five of the six races. The ‘A’ and ‘B’ boats finished in first and second place, respectively, in the varsity four competition, posting times of 6:27 and 6:37. Virginia’s second varsity eight emerged victorius in 6:30, besting boats from Cambridge University in England, the Naval Academy and George Washington. The lightweight eight won with a time of 6:47.
Not to be outdone, Virginia’s first and second novice boats won both of their races. The first novices won in 6:44 while the second novices finished in 7:02, followed by the Virginia ‘B’ squad (7:19).
The 2,000 meter course began near the Spout Run area of the Potomac River and ran downstream under the Key Bridge to the finish line at the Washington Habour in Georgetown. Teams from 14 universities from the United States and Great Britain competed in the event, the largest collegiate rowing competition in the DC Metropolitan area.
The Cavaliers will not have much of a chance to rest before their next competition. Moments after the completion of the awards ceremony, the Virginia rowers hit the road in preparation for a race on Sunday against the University of Massachusetts and Villanova University in Camden, NJ.
Varsity EightSecond Varsity Eight Lightweight EightVirginia 6:23 Virginia 6:30Virginia 6:47Navy 6:33 Cambridge 6:43 St. Joseph's 6:57Georgetown 6:34 Navy 6:50GWU 6:45 GWU 6:54
Varsity Four First Novice Second Novice Virginia 6:27 Virginia 6:44 Virginia 7:02 Virginia (B) 6:37 UNH 6:49 Virginia (B) 7:19 Navy 6:45 Georgetown 6:54 Navy 7:23 Tennessee 8:08 Navy 6:58 UNH 7:26