Rowing to Compete for Big 12 Crown

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University rowing team travels to Oklahoma City for the 2014 Big 12 Conference Rowing Championships on May 3.

"Since our last competition, we've made changes throughout all our crews, but that was almost three weeks ago,” says coach Jimmy King. “Our last scheduled competition was canceled due to weather, so these lineups are untested in that regard. Although we enter this weekend with more unknowns than we usually would have at this time of year, we're eager to get to Oklahoma City to test our speed."

This season marks the third full-sponsored Big 12 Rowing Championship. The event will be held at the Chesapeake Boathouse on Saturday, starting at 11 a.m. EST. Each of the conference's five teams will participate in the six-race event.

"Rowers, like athletes in most sports, can be creatures of habit finding comfort in their routines. This week has been anything but routine, while we've trained around exam schedules at various times of the day and in changing lineups from row-to-row,” King says. “Despite these challenges, our crews have had largely productive rows this week, and I appreciate and commend our students on how well they have adapted."

Last season, Oklahoma claimed its first title when the Sooners picked up 136 points at Wyandotte County Lake in Kansas City, Kan.

The six races scheduled to take place include the first varsity eight, the second varsity eight, the first varsity four, the second varsity four, the third varsity eight and the fourth varsity eight. Teams score points for their finish in each race, with the first and second varsity eight and the first varsity four races carrying significantly more weight than the other three.

This week, coaches voted on the seeding for the top-three races, which in turn determines the lane assignments for the event. The highest-seeded team received lane four, the No. 2-seed lane three, the No. 3-seed lane five, the No. 4-seed lane two and the No. 5-seed lane six. The Mountaineers were voted the fifth seed in each of the voted races. The other three races’ lane assignments were determined by a random draw. Lane assignments can be changed based on weather conditions on race day.

Admission is free with seating available at the finish line at the base of the Chesapeake Finish Line Tower on the Oklahoma River. The regatta will be broadcast on FOX Sports Southwest and FOX Sports Oklahoma on tape delay on multiple occasions beginning Wednesday, May 7.

Big 12 Championship Schedule

11 a.m. - Fourth Varsity Eight

11:15 a.m. - Third Varsity Eight

11:30 a.m. - Second Varsity Four

11:45 a.m. - First Varsity Four

Noon - Second Varsity Eight

12:15 a.m. - First Varsity Eight

*All times EST

2014 Big 12 Rowing Championship Lane Assignments

SEEDED RACES RANDOM DRAW RACES

Lane Institution Seed Lane Institution

First Varsity Eight Third Varsity Eight

2 Texas 4 2 Oklahoma

3 Oklahoma 2 3 Kansas State

4 Kansas State 1 4 West Virginia

5 Kansas 3 5 Texas

6 West Virginia 5 6 Kansas

Second Varsity Eight Fourth Varsity Eight

2 Texas 4 2 Kansas

3 Oklahoma 2 3 Kansas State

4 Kansas State 1 4 Oklahoma

5 Kansas 3 5 West Virginia

6 West Virginia 5 6 Texas

First Varsity Four Second Varsity Four

2 Kansas State 4 2 Kansas State

3 Kansas 2 3 Texas

4 Texas 1 4 Kansas

5 Oklahoma 3 5 West Virginia

6 West Virginia 5 6 Oklahoma

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