May 18, 2008

No. 9 Virginia Wins Team Title And Varsity Eight At South/Central Regionals

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - No. 9 Virginia rowing finished with 407 points, including a victory in the Varsity Eight, to capture the overall Aramark South/Central Regional Championship and the South Region Championship Sunday at Melton Lake in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Virginia has now won the South Region five times in the last six years (2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008) and the South/Central team championship four times in the last five seasons (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008).

"In a competition like this, getting a win is a big deal and the Varsity Eight rowed a great race," head coach Kevin Sauer said. "Winning the team title, it's obvious everyone contributed."

Rounding out the top three in the overall standings were Michigan State (371; Central Region Champion) and Ohio State (351).

In the first race of the day, Virginia's Varsity Eight crew (Caitlin Mixter, Jennifer Cromwell, Rebecca Ryall, Lauren Hutchins, Kelsie Chaudoin, Desiree Burns, Augusta Stratos, Bridget Wandelt, Katrin Sydlik) started strong and held on for a first-place finish with a time of 6:33.60. The Cavaliers edged Michigan State (6:35.80), which was followed by Michigan (6:37.00), Clemson (6:38.10), Wisconsin (6:40.10) and Tennessee (6:40.30).

Tigers Finish in Sixth Place at Aramark South/Central Sprints

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - The Clemson rowing team had a record-setting performance at the Aramark South/Central Sprints this weekend. The Tigers finished in sixth place overall and second in the South region, the highest finish in school history.

After a strong performance yesterday, the Varsity 8+ crew competed in the grand finals this morning. The Tigers competed against a highly talented field, which included #9 Virginia, #5 Michigan State, #13 Michigan, and #6 Tennessee. Clemson finished fourth behind Virginia, Michigan State, and Michigan with a time of 6:38.10. The Varsity 8+ consisted of Jessica Leidecker, Suzanne Van Fleet, Brittany Cummings, Megan Bendik, Liz Robb, Hilary Cumbest, Ford Heiner, Michelle Nance, and Elyse Roenick (coxswain).

The Second Varsity 8+ competed in the B Final and finished in third place with a time of 6:56.8 behind Minnesota and Michigan.

The Varsity 4+ crew also made it to the grand finals this morning. They finished in sixth place with a time of 7:41.10.

Miami's 1st Varsity Eight Wins C Final At Aramark Sprints

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - The University of Miami's 1st Varsity Eight crew won the "C" championship race in a time of 6:51.200 while UM placed 15th overall as a team - improving two places from its 2007 finish - as racing concluded Sunday at the 2008 Aramark Sprints/Central and South Region Championships on Milton Hill Lake. The 1st Varsity Eight crew placed 13th overall in a field of 22, moving up four spots from the crew's 17th-place finish last year at the sprints.

The Hurricanes, who finished with 132 points overall, also placed seventh in the South Region, easily ahead of conference foes Duke (87 points) and North Carolina (67).

"I am thrilled that we were able to improve in all of our races over our performance from last season," head coach Robbie Tenenbaum said. "Our biggest improvement was in the 1st Varsity 8, where we were able to win the `C' final and beat some boats that we lost to earlier in the racing season."

Duke Takes 17th At Aramark Central/South Region Sprints

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - Led by a fourth place finish in the varsity eight, the Duke rowing team took 17th overall at the Aramark Central/South Region Sprints in the final day of competition on Sunday at Melton Hill Lake.

Duke's top boat followed a second place finish in the semifinal on Saturday with a time of 7:01.50 in the V8+ C Final, which was good enough for fourth place in the event and 63 of the team's 87 overall points. At 17th overall, the Blue Devils finished ahead of Kansas, North Carolina, SMU, Murray State and Eastern Michigan while taking eighth overall in the South Division.

Duke's second varsity eight squad also competed and took sixth in the C Final with a time of 7:20.13. The finish earned the team 24 points.

Tar Heel Rowing Wraps Up Season At Sprints

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - The North Carolina rowing team wrapped up the 2007-08 season Sunday following two days of racing at the South/Central Region Springs, hosted by the University of Tennessee at Melton Hill Lake. UNC finished ninth in the South Region standings and 19th overall with a total of 61 points.

The Tar Heel novice eight again turned in the team's best performance, finishing third in Sunday's petite final to take ninth overall in the field of 14. UNC's second novice eight finished 13th in the field.

The Carolina varsity eight and second varsity eight both finished second in their respective "D" finals on Sunday. The varsity eight missed first in its final race by less than a second, finishing in 7:09.83, just behind SMU at 7:09.20.