May 13, 1999
CHARLOTTESVILLE – The University of Virginia women’s rowing team expects to face stiff competition at Sunday’s (May 16) Eastern Sprints in New Preston, Conn. Brown, Princeton and Wisconsin are all expected to field top boats at the Eastern Sprints.
Virginia is currently the top-ranked team in the NCAA’s Central Region and is also ranked number one in the region in the varsity eight, the second varsity eight and the varsity four. Brown is ranked number one as a team and in all three boats in the Northeast Region, and Princeton is ranked number one as a team and in all three boats in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Wisconsin won the varsity eight competition at the Midwest Championships earlier this month.
In the latest regular-season national collegiate coaches Top 20 polls conducted by US Rowing, Virginia’s varsity eight is ranked fifth in the nation and the Cavaliers’ lightweight eight is ranked third. The varsity eight, ranked second in the rankings at the end of April, lost to Princeton on May 1 and dropped to fifth. UVa’s lightweight eight has been ranked third the entire spring season. Brown’s varsity eight is ranked third in the latest rankings, while Princeton is ranked fourth and Wisconsin sixth. Princeton is ranked number one in the lightweight eight.
Invitations to the 1999 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships are expected to be extended next week. The top-ranked team in each of four regions (Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Central and West) will receive an automatic team invitation, and six other teams will receive at-large invitations. Schools receiving team invitations take three boats (varsity eight, second varsity eight, varsity four) to the NCAA Championships. In addition, nine more varsity eights will be invited to participate in the NCAA competition. Only schools receiving team invitations can win the national championship.
The NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships are scheduled for May 28-30 in Rancho Cordova, Calif.
WOMEN’S VARSITY EIGHT RANKINGS
1) Washington 11) Northeastern 2) Cal-Berkeley 12) Washington State 3) Brown 13) Boston University 4) Princeton 14) Oregon State 5) Virginia 15) Massachusetts 6) Wisconsin 16) Syracuse 7) Michigan State 17) Ohio State 8) Radcliffe 18) North Carolina 9) Michigan 19) Iowa 10) So. California 20) Cornell
WOMEN’S LIGHTWEIGHT EIGHT RANKINGS
1) Princeton 11) St. Joseph's 2) Villanova 12) San Diego State 3) Virginia 13) Oregon 4) Wisconsin 14) San Diego 5) Radcliffe 15) Seattle Pacific 6) Humboldt State 16) Brown 7) Cal-Davis St. Mary's 8) Georgetown 18) Creighton 9) Massachusetts 19) Delaware 10) Notre Dame 20) Minnesota