May 31, 2008

Semifinal Victory For Second Varsity Eight Highlights UVa's Saturday At NCAAs

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Virginia's Second Varsity Eight won its race to advance to Sunday's Grand Final on the second day of competition at the 2008 NCAA Women's Rowing Championships on Lake Natoma in Sacramento, Calif.

The Second Varsity Eight crew (coxswain Mary Eddy, Amanda Chase, Lauren Shook, Helen Tompkins, Marie Long, Claudia Blandford, Annie Bohlen, Adrienne Egge and Victoria Burke) finished with a time of 6:47.83, edging California's second-place finish of 6:48.87.

Virginia trailed Yale in the opening 500 meters of the 2,000-meter race, and maintained its second-place standing through the halfway mark. In the second half of the race, the Cavaliers moved into the lead and then held off Cal for the victory.

In Sunday's six-boat Grand Final, the Cavaliers will be joined by California, Washington State, Washington, Tennessee and Wisconsin for the right to be called national champion.

Virginia has a successful history of national champions in the Second Varsity Eight, as UVa's 1998, 1999 and 2005 boats all had first-place finishes in the event.

---

Friday, May 30

All Three Virginia Boats Advance At NCAA Rowing Championships

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Virginia women's rowing team advanced all three of its boats on Friday during the first day of competition at the 2008 NCAA Women's Rowing Championships on Lake Natoma in Sacramento, Calif.

Virginia's Varsity Four (coxswain Cristine Candland, Diane Leigh, Allison Brennan, Nora Phillips and Schafer Bomstein) won its heat and advanced directly to Sunday's Grand Final. The Cavaliers finished with a time of 7:27.07.

The Varsity Eight (coxswain Caitlin Mixter, Jennifer Cromwell, Rebecca Ryall, Lauren Hutchins, Kelsie Chaudoin, Desiree Burns, Augusta Stratos, Bridget Wandelt, Katrin Sydlik) finished a close second in its heat, and advanced to Saturday's semifinals. The crew led most of its race, but was edged in the last 250 meters by California. Virginia's time was 6:24.95, compared to Cal's 6:23.79. The third team to advance from that heat was Princeton with a time of 6:28.28.

The Second Varsity Eight (coxswain Mary Eddy, Amanda Chase, Lauren Shook, Helen Tompkins, Marie Long, Claudia Blandford, Annie Bohlen, Adrienne Egge and Victoria Burke) had a third-place finish and advanced to the repechage on Saturday.

"It was an encouraging day," head coach Kevin Sauer said. "We are definitely in the hunt and we'll continue to push tomorrow and hopefully put ourselves in a good position."

Clemson Wraps Up Day One at NCAA Rowing Championships

GOLD RIVER, Calif. - The Clemson rowing team competed for the first time in school history at the NCAA Rowing Championships today at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center in Gold River, California. The Varsity 8+ crew, which consists of Elyse Roenick (coxswain), Jessica Leidecker, Suzanne Van Fleet, Brittany Cummings, Megan Bendik, Liz Robb, Hilary Cumbest, Ford Heiner, and Michelle Nance advanced to the C Finals, which will be held on Sunday morning at 11:30 AM (PDT).

Racing got underway for the Tigers in the second of three heats this morning. Clemson finished in fifth place behind Brown, Stanford, Washington and Michigan.

Clemson went on to race in the repechage this afternoon, finishing in fifth place behind Southern California, Washington State, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The Tigers maintained contact with winner USC for the majority of the race, but they were unable to claim a top-three finish in order to compete in the semifinals tomorrow. The Tigers were able to cross the finish line before Ohio State and Tennessee, just as they did at the recent Aramark South/Central Sprints. Clemson finished with a time of 6:47.28 in the repechage.