April 17, 2004

CLEMSON, S.C. - North Carolina senior Grace Wallenborn was named to the 2004 All-Atlantic Coast Conference rowing team Saturday as the Tar Heels finished fourth in the ACC Championship regatta, held at Lake Hartwell and hosted by Clemson. Virginia took its fifth title in as many years, with Duke second and Clemson third.

Virginia coach Kevin Sauer was named ACC Coach of the Year, while the Virginia varsity eight was honored as the ACC Crew of the Year.

Racing on the 2,000-meter course under sunny skies, Cavaliers took first in all four events - the varsity eight, second varsity eight, varsity four and novice eight. Duke was second in the varsity eight and second varsity eight, while Clemson took second in the other two races.

By finishing ahead of UNC, Duke claimed the Carlyle Cup point for rowing for the 2003-04 school year.

"It was a tough day," UNC coach Sarah Haney said. "The varsity eight had a pretty good race and made up some time on Clemson from when we raced them on Spring Break. Two years ago, were were 21 seconds out of third place, last year we were 14 seconds and this year we were seven seconds, so we're getting there step-by-step, but it's frustrating not to get a win.

"In the second varsity eight, we just didn't row as well as we can and that put us in a spot we didn't want to be in. "

UNC's novice four raced in the varsity four event Saturday, so the Tar Heels had two novice boats competing. "Both performed to their potential for this point in the season," Tar Heel novice coach Laura Fogt said. "I think we did well against the competition and I felt very good about the race performance, knowing they still have room for improvement and room to grow.

"The novice eight had an awesome start and was up four or five seats for the first 200 meters. They put up a good fight until the 1,200-meter mark, when they lost contact with Clemson, but they responded well to the challenge. For the varsity four, considering this was their first race against varsity competition, I think they did very well. They had a great start and stayed with Duke for half the race. Experience allowed the other boats to race more effectively in the last 1,000 meters and that will be our goal for the next few races."

Next up for UNC is the Dad Vail Regatta on May 7-8 in Philadelphia.

Fifth-Annual ACC Rowing Championship Results
Varsity Four: 1. Virginia 7:45.1; 2. Clemson 7:50.8; 3. Duke 8:06.1; 4. North Carolina 8:24.7
Novice Eight: 1. Virginia 7:11.2; 2. Clemson 7:13.9; 3. North Carolina 7:25.9
Second Varsity Eight: 1. Virginia 6:47.1; 2. Duke 6:56.7; 3. Clemson 6:58.6; 4. North Carolina 7:17.1
Varsity Eight: 1. Virginia 6:34.3; 2. Duke 6:42.6; 3. Clemson 6:49.9; 4. North Carolina 6:57.0
Final points totals: Virginia 40, Duke 25, Clemson 23, UNC 11

2004 All-ACC Team: Betty Shumaker (Coxswain) (Virginia), Jennifer Reck (Virginia ), Lindsay Shoop (Virginia), Genevieve Cauchon-Voyer (Virginia), Mary Nell Green (Clemson), Robin Mescher (Clemson), Mae Joyce Gay (Duke), Amanda Adam (Duke), Grace Wallenborn (North Carolina)

UNC lineups
Varsity eight: Terry McCloskey (coxswain), Rebecca Bennett, Julie Domina, Jen Cox, Grace Wallenborn, Michelle Hall, Jess Ziebell, Sarah Stargel, Clara Leigh
Second varsity eight: Lauren Portnow (coxswain), Miranda Harple, Mary Miller, Emily Dondero, Christina Payne, Amanda Snow, Adriann Spinks, Becci Foster, Emily Glunz
Varsity four: Regina Elwell (coxswain), Beth Robinson, Laura Rock, Lacy Gill, Mallory Williams
Novice eight: Lauren Withycombe (coxswain), Anna Fabiszewski, Mary Casale, Ashley Williamson, Cleo Washington, Christin Cotten, Sara Bentley, Catherine Nitz, Keegan Drenosky