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May 30, 2013

NCAA Championship Central
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UPDATE: Due to Friday’s weather forecast in Indianapolis, the schedule for the morning schedule has been moved up an hour and a half and will begin at 7 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.—The fifth-ranked Virginia rowing team looks to defend its national title as it travels to Indianapolis, Ind., this weekend to take part in the NCAA Championships on Eagle Creek Park Lake Friday through Sunday (May 31-June 2).

The first race for Saturday and Sunday is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Live results and live video links will be available and linked through VirginiaSports.com.

Each division (Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight and Varsity Four) has four heats in the morning on Friday, with the top two from each heat moving on to Saturday’s semifinals. The remaining boats will race in a repechage to determine the final four semifinalists in each division.

The action for UVa begins Friday as the fourth-seeded Varsity Eight competes at 8:10 a.m. in the fourth heat against Gonzaga, Michigan, Rhode Island, Washington and Washington State. The Cavalier Second Varsity Eight (seeded eighth) will compete in the first heat at 8:20 a.m. against crews from Ohio State, UCLA, Washington State and Yale, while the 11th-seeded Varsity Four will race in the third heat at 9:20 a.m. against Boston University, Brown, Harvard, Marist and Yale.

The semifinals begin Saturday at 8:30 a.m. with the V8, followed by the 2V8 and the V4, while the finals will take place on Sunday. Division I grand and petite finals (places 1-12) begin at 10 a.m. with the final race of the weekend being the Varsity Eight grand final at 10:50 a.m.

The Cavaliers earned a spot at the national regatta by virtue of its ACC Championship win on May 12. In addition to UVa, Boston University (Colonial), Gonzaga (West Coast), Princeton (Ivy), Marist (MAAC), Navy (Patriot), Notre Dame (Big East), Ohio State (Big Ten), Oklahoma (Conference USA), Rhode Island (Atlantic 10) and USC (Pac-12) all earned automatic qualifiers from their conferences.

The 11 schools that earned at-large selections were Brown, California, Cornell, Harvard, Michigan, Stanford, UCLA, Washington, Washington State, Wisconsin and Yale.

In 2012, Virginia won its second national title with 87 points, ahead of Michigan (82), California (78) and Princeton (77). It was the Cavaliers’ second NCAA crown in three years, as UVa also won the national title in 2010.

With 15 NCAA Championship appearances in the last 16 years, the Cavaliers have finished in the top four 10 times (1997-2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009-10, 2012) and have been runners-up three times (1999, 2005, 2007).

The Varsity Eight boat won its first national title in 2012, clinching the team crown for UVa. Virginia has also captured national championships in the Second Varsity Eight in 1998, 1999 and 2005 and in the Varsity Four in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2010.

In addition to the V8 winning the national crown, the V4 placed second and the 2V8 finished fifth.

Probable Virginia Lineups:

Varsity Eight: Coxswain Sarah Jordan, Stroke: Kristine O’Brien, 7: Sarah Cowburn, 6: Fiona Schlesinger, 5: Susanne Grainger, 4: Hemingway Benton, 3: Chandler Lally, 2: Constanze Duell, Bow: Elle Murray

Second Varsity Eight: Coxswain Molly Frear, Stroke: Ann Reid, 7: Maddie Hilbrant, 6: Brandy Herald, 5: Lizzy Youngling, 4: Chelsea Adams, 3: Kaitlin Fanikos, 2: Veronica Jones, Bow: Betsy Nilan

Varsity Four: Coxswain Sarah McGovern, Stroke: Emily Pik, 3: Hannah Yoest, 2: Kaity McCullough, Bow: Nina Vascotto

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