Virginia Varsity Eight To Compete In Henley Royal Regatta
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June 15, 2000
CHARLOTTESVILLE– – The 1999-2000 rowing season is not quite over for the University of Virginia’s first varsity eight. The Virginia crew is headed to England to compete in the Henley Royal Regatta. The regatta is scheduled for July 1-2 at Henley-on-Thames.
UVa’s first varsity eight finished third at the NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships in Camden, N.J., last month. The crew is comprised of Claudia Durkin (Meadowbrook, Pa./Mt. St. Joseph), Madeline Engel (Mercer Island, Wash./Lakeside), Sara Garrett (San Clemente, Calif./Robinson), Michelle Giller (Princeton, N.J./Hun), Jennifer Herberger (Mitchellville, Md./Loudoun Valley), Chris Hillson (Philadelphia, Pa./Penn Charter), Risa Mandzuk (St. Catharines, Ontario/Lakeport), Barb Sheehan (St. Catharines, Ontario/Holy Cross) and coxswain Sarah Brennan (St. Louis, Mo./Villa Duchesne).
Four additional rowers will also be making the trip. The additional rowers are Emily Egge (Alexandria, Va./Thomas Jefferson), Lauren Mitterer (Kirkland, Wash./Bush), Kirin Surpless (Reston,Va./Thomas Jefferson) and Marina Traub (Torrington, Conn./Kent School). They will compete in a four competition at the Readingtown Regatta on June 24 and the Wallingford Regatta on June 25, the Saturday and Sunday before the Henley Royal Regatta.
The Virginia rowers have been practicing in Charlottesville since June 12 and are scheduled to leave for England on Monday (June 19).
“This is the first time for a women’s eight competition at the Henley Royal Regatta and I wanted our program to be a part of this history-making event,” said UVa head coach Kevin Sauer. “The Henley Royal Regatta was established in 1839 and this is the 151st running of the event.
“It also provides an opportunity to practice and race outside the regular season that will be beneficial for our rowers who return next season.”
Virginia finished third in all three grande finals – first varsity eight, second varsity eight and varsity four – to finish third in the team competition at the 2000 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships. The Cavaliers have finished in the top four in the team competition at each of the four NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships. UVa finished fourth in 1997, third in 1998 and second last year.