Andrea Saathoff Invited To Train For Olympic Rowing Team

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Dec. 14, 1999

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Former University of Virginia rower AndreaSaathoffhas been invited to train for the 2000 United States Olympic Rowing teambyOlympic Rowing Head Coach Hartmut Buschbacher. Saathoff is scheduled tobegin training for the team at the Arco Olympic Training Center in ChulaVista, Calif., in January.

Saathoff, who graduated from Virginia last May, was a first-teamAll-America selection by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association(CRCA)last spring and was also a first-team selection to the CRCA’sAll-CentralRegion Team. She was UVa’s team captain and Most Valuable Rower for the1998-99 season.

From Indialantic, Fla. (Melbourne High School), Saathoff was amember of Virginia’s first varsity eight crew that finished second atthe1999 NCAA Championships. She also finished seventh at the World IndoorRowing Championships in February of 1999.

Virginia finished tied with Brown in the final team standings atthe 1999 Women’s Rowing Championships. Virginia and Brown both finishedwith 56 points in the team competition, but the team championship wenttoBrown based on the NCAA tiebreaker of highest finish in the firstvarsityeight.

Saathoff is a three-time member of the Under-23 National Teamandearned a bronze medal in the four without coxswain at the 1999 Under-23World Championships in Hamburg, Germany.

She was also named to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Honor Rollthree times.

“Andrea is the most talented rower to ever come out of theUniversity of Virginia program,” said UVa Women’s Head Rowing CoachKevinSauer. “She has the work ethic, mental discipline, positive attitudeandphysical talent to have a serious chance to make the 2000 United StatesOlympic Team.”