June 2, 2008

Virginia Finishes Fifth At NCAAs

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - After the final day of competition at the 2008 NCAA Women's Rowing Championships on Lake Natoma in Sacramento, Calif., Virginia earned a fifth-place finish in the team standings, while its Varsity Four finished second, its Second Varsity Eight finished fourth and its Varsity Eight finished eighth.

Virginia finished with 47 points, good for a top five finish for the eighth time in its 11-year history at the NCAA Championships. Brown was the team champion with 67 points, followed by Washington (59), California (53) and Yale (51).

In the Grand Final of the Varsity Four, Washington and UVa (coxswain Christine Candland, Diane Leigh, Allison Brennan, Nora Phillips and Schafer Bomstein) battled the entire 2,000 meters of the race, with the Huskies holding a slim advantage at the halfway mark. Virginia battled back to lead with 500 meters to go, but Washington finished strong to come away with the victory. UVa's second-place time was 7:26.09, compared to UW's 7:24.75.

Also competing in the Grand Final, UVa's Second Varsity Eight (coxswain Mary Eddy, Amanda Chase, Lauren Shook, Helen Tompkins, Marie Long, Claudia Blandford, Annie Bohlen, Adrienne Egge and Victoria Burke) finished fourth with a time of 6:49.88. Brown was victorious in that race with a time of 6:42.42.

In the Varsity Eight, Virginia (coxswain Caitlin Mixter, Jennifer Cromwell, Rebecca Ryall, Lauren Hutchins, Kelsie Chaudoin, Desiree Burns, Augusta Stratos, Bridget Wandelt, Katrin Sydlik) was competing in the Petite Final (places 7-12) and had a strong showing with an eighth-place finish (6:38.52). Harvard was seventh with a time of 6:35.30.

"Everybody raced so hard today," head coach Kevin Sauer said. "Finishing fifth, we'll obviously leave here with our heads held high with the understanding that we're only disappointed because of the high standards we set for ourselves."

In the unofficial pairs race, Susie Chalker and Shalane Carlson won the flight for Virginia.

Clemson Finishes Second in C Final at NCAA Rowing Championships

GOLD RIVER, Calif. - On the final day of the NCAA Rowing Championships, Clemson's Varsity 8+ crew finished in second place in the "C" Final held on Lake Natoma in Gold River, California. In the team championship, Brown won their second consecutive national title and sixth overall. Yale brought home the Varsity 8+ crown for the second time in as many years by edging out at-large Stanford in the final foot of the 2000-meter race. The three-day regatta was hosted by the University of California in conjunction with the Sacramento State Aquatic Center.

After finishing fifth in the repechage on Friday, Clemson advanced to the "C" Final held this morning. The Tigers remained close throughout, however they finished second with a time of 6:43.33 behind Wisconsin. Clemson fought hard at the end, completing the last 500 meters almost three seconds faster than the Badgers. Unfortunately, Wisconsin's lead to was too great to overcome and the Tigers finished the race just 1.35 seconds behind them. Ohio State and Tennessee finished third and fourth, respectively. Clemson's Varsity 8+ is comprised of Elyse Roenick (coxswain), Jessica Leidecker, Suzanne Van Fleet, Brittany Cummings, Megan Bendik, Liz Robb, Hilary Cumbest, Ford Heiner, and Michelle Nance

The NCAA Championships marked the final race as a Tiger for seniors Ford Heiner, Elyse Roenick, and Suzanne Van Fleet.