Rowing / November 15, 2008

Hurricane Rowers Travel to Rivanna Romp for Sunday Racing

Nov. 15, 2008

Coral Gables, Fla. – The University of Miami rowing team travels out-of-state this weekend for their first taste of ACC competition when they take part in the annual Rivanna Romp hosted by the University of Virginia in Charlottesville on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 9 a.m.

With two weeks off since their last event, a home meet in which they looked very good against cross-town foes Barry and Nova, the Hurricanes are taking the action back to the road where they will meet up with their second taste of national powers in Virginia, Tennessee and Ohio State.

“We are going to be racing against some very tough competition at the Rivanna Romp on Sunday morning,” exclaimed UM head coach Robbie Tenenbaum. “Virginia, Ohio State and Tennessee were all at the NCAA Championships last season, finishing among the top 12 women’s rowing programs in the country. This is exactly why we travel to this event–to race the best of the best. Iowa, Duke and Penn are also going to be racing in Charlottesville and have been traditionally strong programs.”

At last year’s Rivanna Romp, the `Canes duo of Beth Krawec and Kelly Amsler won the pair’s race with a time of 17:05.67 at the Rivanna Reservoir. They finished almost two seconds ahead of teams from Texas and Tennessee.

In the first varsity eight races, UM finished in seventh place in a time of 14:16.12 behind crews from host UVA, Tennessee, Texas and Ohio State. In the novice eight races, Miami came in fourth with a time of 16:48.95, finishing behind two boats from UVA and one from UT.

Tenenbaum, having newly assembled his staff during the summer, is hoping for a chance to show the field what he and his coaches have been up to during the off-season. A high-energy workout plan and several strong practices have Tenenbaum believing the Hurricanes are ready for a chance at some of the nation’s elite.

“Our team has made a lot of progress on the water, and in our land training this fall,” expressed Tenenbaum. “The addition of Coach Rankovic, who was a 2000 Olympian for Serbia , and Coach Matia, who was a member of the 2007 United States Pan Am Team, has made a big impact on our training and attitude. Both new assistants have brought a tremendous amount of energy and experience to our program, both in our land training and our skill instruction on the water.

This weekend’s Rivanna Romp will certainly test the young Hurricanes, but the expectations of a coach and his team are already reaching higher with the feeling that great things are on the way … and that this weekend would be a perfect place to see where they are at this point.

“Our goal here at the `U’ is to win conference, regional and National Championships,” stated Tenenbaum, a former assistant with nationally renowned The Ohio State University. “We are looking to take some big steps in the right direction towards our goals this season!”

Complete results for all races will be available by visiting www.virginiasports.com.

Miami Boating

1V8
Bow: Monika Sajincic
2: Stephanie Parrish
3: Sarah Medland
4: Frida Schneider
5: Nic Saner
6: Karalyn Van Aken
7: Marleena Eyre
Stroke: Laura Cordner
Coxswain: Christina Crocco