Rowing: WVU Heads to BIG EAST Rowing Challenge
April 22, 2004 02:58 PM | General
April 22, 2004
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The West Virginia University women's rowing team travels to Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass., on Sunday, April 25, to compete in the 2004 BIG EAST Women's Rowing Challenge beginning at 8:10 a.m.
The women have shown some signs of rebounding from their slow start early in the season. In last weekend's Knecht Cup the varsity eight boat took tenth place out of 30 competing teams.
"Although we didn't have great finishes across the board, the women were pleased with the quality of their performance as they were much better than previous races," says head coach Nancy Larocque. "Although it was disappointing to get fourth in the petite final, they were still 10th out of 30 crews."
The Mountaineers will have to keep up their improvement this weekend as they will face some of the best teams in the country. Syracuse will be going for their fourth consecutive title at the BIG EAST Women's Rowing Challenge. The Orangewomen have been ranked in the CRCA/US Rowing Varsity Eight Coaches Poll all season.
Another team that has spent considerable time in the polls this spring has been Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have also finished runner-up to the Orangewomen in each of the past four seasons.
WVU's spring training partner, the Miami Hurricanes, captured the 2004 Florida State Championship this spring by winning all eight of their races against other Florida foes.
Other teams competing this weekend will be Boston College, Rutgers, Georgetown, Villanova and Connecticut.
"This weekend's Championships will be as challenging as ever," says LaRocque. "We have a tough group in this conference and our goal is to make the final and finish in the top three."
LaRocque also points out that rowing on Lake Quinsigamond provides challenges in itself.
"Worcester is a challenging course because the wind can cause some lanes to be better than others," says LaRocque.
The day's races kickoff at 8:10 a.m., while varsity eight competition begins at 9:40 a.m. The finals for the competition are scheduled for 1:40 p.m. (petite) and 1:50 p.m. (grand).
Results can be found throughout the day at row2k.com
