Virginia Ranked No. 1 Nationally in First 2012 CRCA National Poll
2nd Straight Year for Cavs to be No.1 in First Poll; Clemson Ranked 16th



March 17, 2012

Greensboro, N.C.—Virginia, the defending Atlantic Coast Conference Rowing champion, begins the 2012 season exactly where it did in 2011, ranked No. 1 nationally in the first Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) poll of the year. Virginia, which has earned five No. 1 rankings over the past three seasons, also began the 2011 season ranked No. 1 nationally.

The Cavaliers received 15 first-place votes and a total of 461 points to outdistance California, which recorded five first-place votes and a total of 438 points. Princeton (395), 2011 NCAA champion Brown (381), and Stanford (373) round out the Top Five.

The ranking marked Virginia’s 46th consecutive appearance in the poll and 82nd overall. UVa was ranked 3rd in the final CRCA poll of last year and finished 6th at the 2011 NCAA Rowing Championships.

Clemson was tabbed 16th in the March 15 poll, marking the Tigers 39th straight appearance in the CRCA national rankings. The Tigers were ranked 13th in the final CRCA poll of last year before finishing 15th in the 2011 NCAA Championships.

The complete CRCA National Poll of March 15

(First place votes in parentheses)

1. Virginia (15) 461
2. California (5) 438
3. Princeton 395
4. Brown (4) 381
5. Stanford (1) 373
6. Southern California 368
7. Yale 309
8. Washington 304
9. Michigan 303
10. Wisconsin 296
11. Michigan State 275
12. Harvard 264
13. Ohio State 246
14. Washington State. 182
15. Cornell 137
16. Clemson 121
17. Dartmouth 97
18. Tennessee 79
19. Texas 73
20. UCLA 61