Main Championship Page | Live Results | Field Guide | Lane Assignments
ACC Network Extra Watch Links:
8 a.m.: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3357522/acc-rowing-championship
5:30 p.m.: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3357507/acc-rowing-championship
GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com)—The Atlantic Coast Conference will hold its 19th Annual Rowing Championship this Sunday on Lake Hartwell in Clemson, South Carolina. This week’s event marks the 16th time, and ninth consecutive year, that Clemson has served as the host.
ACC Network Extra will stream the entire championship live with veteran Pete Yanity handling the play-by-play, and former Virginia assistant coach Steve Pritzker handling the analysis. ACC Network Extra can be accessed through the ESPN App.
UVA has earned the top seed in each of the five events: First Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight, Third Varsity Eight, First Varsity Four and Second Varsity Four.
Action begins Sunday morning at 8:05 a.m., when the first heat of the First Varsity Eight begins the championship. Heats continue throughout the morning until the second heat of the Second Varsity Four, which starts at 9:55 a.m.
Finals begin Sunday evening at 5:30 p.m. with the Petite Final of the Second Varsity Four. An awards ceremony will be held after the evening session at approximately 8 p.m., concluding the championship.
Virginia, ranked seventh nationally, heads into the event in a familiar position as the favorite. The Cavaliers of Coach Kevin Sauer have won 17 of the first 18 ACC Championships, including the last eight in a row.
The Cavaliers have dominated this championship through the years, winning 68 of the 75 finals events. Host Clemson, the only other ACC school to win a rowing championship, has won six events, including two in 2009 when the Tigers claimed the title. Ironically, that championship was held on Melton Lake in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and not on Clemson’s home water.
Syracuse is the only other ACC team to capture an individual event, winning the Second Varsity Eight title last spring.
Virginia is coming off a strong effort at the Longhorn Invitational two weeks ago on April 28, where the Cavaliers won four of five races against a field that included third-ranked Texas and ninth-ranked Iowa.
The Cavaliers will face some strong competition at this year’s championship from four teams teams that are ranked or are receiving votes in the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association Top 20, in No. 17 Notre Dame and No. 18 Duke, as well as Syracuse and Louisville, both of whom received votes in this week’s poll.
No. 17 Notre Dame, coached by Martin Stone, has come on strong in the past month after a slow start, defeating Duke and Penn in the 2V8 and 1V4 races despite bad weather at the Dale England Cup on April 29. The Irish finished third last year and are seeded third this year in four of the five races.
No. 18 Duke, coached by Megan Cooke Carcagno, was seeded second in both the First Varsity Four and Second Varsity Four races and fourth in the 1V8 and 2V8 events. The Blue Devils were fourth as a team a year ago and finished in a tie with Syracuse for second in 2016. Duke dominated then 15th-ranked Michigan State in a double dual with Ohio State and Notre Dame on April 21.
Syracuse, coached by Justin Moore, last raced on April 28 against No. 10 Princeton and No. 13 Wisconsin, and posted a time of 6:23.1 in the First Varsity Eight. The Orange did win the Third Varsity Eight event against the Tigers. They are the second-seed in all three eights races and are seeded third in the Second Varsity Four and fifth in the First Varsity Four. Syracuse finished second to UVA last year.
Louisville, coached by Derek Copeland, is coming off a strong effort in a dual meet at No. 8 Michigan. The Cardinals lost all four races to the Wolverines, but rowed close in every instance, except for the 1V4 race. Earlier this year on April 1, the Cardinals’ 1V4 crew had recorded a major upset of 12th-ranked Southern California at the Pac-12. Louisville is seeded fifth in the First Varsity Eight, fourth in the First Varsity Four, sixth in the Third Varsity Eight and Second Varsity Four and seventh in the Second Varsity Eight. The Cardinals finish fifth in last year’s Championship and have been among the teams receiving votes throughout the year in the national CRCA poll.
Host Clemson, coached by Stephen Frazier Wong, received votes in the CRCA poll for the first time a week ago, but did not this week. The Tigers last raced at the Clemson Invite on Lake Hartwell on April 14. Clemson is seeded fifth in the Second Varsity Four, sixth in the Second Varsity Eight and First Varsity Four and seventh in the First and Third Varsity Eights.
Boston College, coached by Steve Fiske, enjoyed a well-deserved off week last weekend after competing for six consecutive weeks. The Eagles last rowed in the Eastern Sprints on April 29 on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Massachusetts. BC is seeded seventh in the Third Varsity Eight, eighth in the Second Varsity Eight and Second Varsity Four and ninth in the First Varsity Eight and First Varsity Four. The Eagles’ best team finish at the ACC was fourth-place in 2009, 2010 and 2012.
North Carolina, coached by Sarah Haney, enters the championship coming off a dual meet win over Georgetown on April 28. The Tar Heels are seeded fifth in the Second Varsity Eight and eighth in each of the other four races: 1V8, 3V8, 1V4 and 2V4. UNC finished eighth last year and its best finish was a third-place effort in the inaugural ACC Rowing Championship in 2000.
Miami, coached by David Sanderson, last competed at the Longhorn Invite in Austin, Texas, on April 28. The Hurricanes are seeded sixth in the First Varsity Eight, seventh in the Second Varsity Four and ninth in the 2V8, 3V8 and 1V4. Miami’s best finishes at the ACC Championships were third-place efforts in 2006 and 2009.
Event Schedule for ACC Rowing Championship
Time Heats
8:05 a.m. First Varsity Eight (Heat 1)
8:15 a.m. First Varsity Eight (Heat 2)
8:30 a.m. Second Varsity Eight (Heat 1)
8:40 a.m. Second Varsity Eight (Heat 2)
8:55 a.m. First Varsity Four (Heat 1)
9:05 a.m. First Varsity Four (Heat 2)
9:20 a.m. Second Varsity Four (Heat 1)
9:30 a.m. Second Varsity Four (Heat 2)
9:45 a.m. Third Varsity Eight (Heat 1)
9:55 a.m. Third Varsity Eight (Heat 2)
Time Finals
5:35 p.m. Third Varsity Eight (Petite Final)
5:45 p.m. Third Varsity Eight (Grand Final)
6:00 p.m. Second Varsity Four (Petite Final)
6:10 p.m. Second Varsity Four (Grand Final)
6:25 p.m. First Varsity Four (Petite Final)
6:35 p.m. First Varsity Four (Grand Final)
6:50 p.m. Second Varsity Eight (Petite Final)
7:00 p.m. Second Varsity Eight (Grand Final)
7:15 p.m. First Varsity Eight (Petite Final)
7:25 p.m. First Varsity Eight (Grand Final)
8:00 p.m. Awards Ceremony