MORGANTOWN, W.Va (May 12, 2017) – The West Virginia University rowing team will compete at the 2017 Big 12 Championship on Saturday, May 14, and Sunday, May 15, on Melton Lake in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
WVU will face off against No. 3 Texas, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma and conference affiliates Alabama, Old Dominion and Tennessee at the two-day competition. For the third consecutive year, Tennessee will host the event.
“The recent rains resulted in a fast flowing Monongahela River, much faster than anything we've dealt with this year,” coach Jimmy King said. “Although it significantly impacts how our boats move, as well as the feel, our crews adjusted very well throughout the week. Now in Oak Ridge, we're doing our final prep and looking forward to getting racing underway on Saturday."
On Saturday, the eight teams will split into two four-team heats and will race the 2000-meter course to determine who will compete in the Grand Final and Petite Final on Sunday.
Saturday’s action is slated to begin at 2 p.m. ET. The Mountaineers will kick off the action in heat one of the first varsity eight race. At 2:45 p.m., WVU’s second varsity eight crew will compete in the second heat. The first varsity four will compete at 3:15 p.m., while the second varsity four boat will race at 3:45 p.m. The third varsity eight boat will close out Saturday’s schedule for West Virginia as they compete in heat one, scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET.
The top three crews in each heat will advance to the Grand Final on Sunday, while the remaining three teams will compete in the Petite Final.
Each team will earn points for their respective finishes in each of the finals with the victorious team earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships in West Windsor, New Jersey, on May 26-28. The Longhorns have won six of the eight Big 12 Championships, which began in 2009.
Fans are encouraged to watch the live stream of the event, on Big12sports.com or
here. A full recap of the weekend’s action will be available following competition at WVUsports.com.
