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May 23, 2007
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The University of Virginia women’s rowing team begins competition on Friday (May 25) in the NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships at Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The competition is scheduled to continue through Sunday (May 27).
After two days of practice in Tennessee, Virginia head coach Kevin Sauer believes the Cavaliers are ready.
“I think we’re excited and ready to race,” Sauer said on Thursday (May 24). “There are a lot of fast crews here and everybody’s attitude is let’s get going.”
Virginia is one of 12 teams selected to compete in the championships. The other team selections include Brown, California, Harvard, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Princeton, Southern Cal, Tennessee, Washington and Yale.
As a team selection, Virginia has three crews competing in the NCAA Championships. The 12 schools competing for the team title have one crew in each of the contested races – the first varsity eight, the second varsity eight and the varsity four.
Four additional schools received at-large invitations to participate in the first varsity eight competition. Those schools include Central Florida, Dartmouth, Stanford and UCLA. The four schools receiving at-large invitations in the first varsity eight can win that competition, but without an entry in all three races are ineligible for the team title.
The NCAA competition begins with preliminary heats on Friday. Virginia’s first varsity eight competes at 8 a.m., the second varsity eight at 9:45 a.m. and the varsity four competes at 10:45 a.m.
UVa’s varsity eight is ranked third in the nation in the USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association NCAA Division I Varsity Eight Coaches Poll entering the NCAA Championships. Southern California is ranked first followed by Yale, Virginia, Brown, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Stanford, California, Princeton and Tennessee.
Virginia did not participate in last year’s NCAA Championships after competing in the first nine NCAA regattas. The Cavaliers have finished in the top seven at each of the NCAA Championships in which they’ve participated.
At the 2005 NCAA Championships, UVa finished second in the team competition after winning championships in both the varsity four and the second varsity eight. The Cavaliers finished fourth in 1997, third in 1998, second in 1999, third in 2000, seventh in 2001, fourth in 2002, sixth in 2003 and tied for sixth in 2004.
The Virginia rowers have not competed since winning the overall championship and the South Region Championship with a dominating performance at the Aramark South/Central Regional Championships on May 13 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The Cavaliers won the varsity eight, the second varsity eight, the varsity four, the open four and the novice eight. UVa is the first team in the history of the regional to win every race – preliminary, semifinal and final.
The Cavaliers won their eighth consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference Championship on April 21 in Clemson, S.C. Virginia won all four scoring events – the varsity eight, second varsity eight, varsity four and novice eight at the ACC regatta.