April 8, 1999
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia women’s rowing team faces plenty of competition this weekend (April 10-11). The Cavaliers compete in the George Washington Invitational Crew Classic on Saturday (April 10), and then row against Massachusetts and Villanova in Camden, N.J., on Sunday (April 11).
The Virginia women’s team won seven races at last year’s George Washington Invitational and combined with the UVa men’s rowing team to win the Gilbert H. Hood, Jr., Point Trophy for the second consecutive year. UVa totaled 68 team points, while the United States Naval Academy and Georgetown finished tied for second with 65 points in last year’s 12-team event.
Virginia won the Women’s Varsity Eight Bowl for the fourth consecutive year at last spring’s George Washington Invitational. UVa’s women’s varsity eight is currently ranked second in the nation.
This weekend’s 12th annual George Washington Invitational Crew Classic will be held on the Potomac River race course. The event is the official regatta of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Preliminary heats begin at 8:00 a.m. and the finals are scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. The 2,000-meter, four-lane buoyed course begins near the Spout Run area of the Potomac River with the finish line at Washington Harbour in Georgetown. An awards ceremony will follow the competition at approximately 4:30 p.m. at Washington Harbour.
Teams from 14 universities are scheduled to take part in the event, which is the largest collegiate rowing competition in the Washington metropolitan area.