Miami Varsity Eight Finishes Fourth in Class D Semis

May 15, 2010

Sunday Lane Assignments (PDF) | Complete Semifinal Results (PDF)

Oak Ridge, Tenn. – The University of Miami rowing team took part in varsity eight action on Saturday in the Aramark South/Central Regional Championships at Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The University of Tennessee is serving as host of this year’s event for the third consecutive season.

Under the direction of first-year head coach Andrew Carter, the Hurricanes took to the waters in their last event of the 2009-10 campaign. Miami fielded just a single boat on Saturday, placing racers in the varsity eight affair.

Facing some of the strongest racing in the country, Miami came away with a fourth place finish in the Semi C/D 2 event. The UM boat crossed at 7:04.78, with third place Tulsa barely defeating the `Canes boat in 7:01.17.

Duke took first place in the Semi C/D 2, coming across in 6:48.50. That was followed by UCF in second place, earning a time of 6:54.63. Kansas (7:10.36) came in fifth, and Eastern Michigan (7:25.95) was sixth.

“It was some of the toughest racing in the country for us today,” stated UM’s Carter. “In the second race, the team filled some holes they encountered in the first race, and showed some positive changes after the morning race. They’re learning as they go, and they’re doing a great job considering some of the things we’ve been through this season.”

In the opening race of the day, Miami’s varsity eight boat earned a trip into the Semi C/D 2, registering a fifth-place time of 7:11.66, as part of action taking place in heat four. Ohio State earned the win for the heat, turning in a time of 6:48.00. That was followed by Tennessee (6:49.26), Oklahoma (6:54.84) and Texas (6:59.30). Coming in sixth was Kansas at 7:21.48.

Miami will now advance to the “D” Finals on Sun., May 16, back at Melton Hill Lake. The race for UM is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m.

“It’s a little disappointing being in the `D’ finals, but the girls are giving some very positive feedback to the coaching staff after their races,” expressed Carter. “They are positive about what they see they’re doing wrong, and they’re listening to the coaching staff to fix those problems. Some of the comments they are making are very encouraging as we look forward to the future of this program, and to the racing tomorrow as well.”

The sprints this year feature 24 schools competing in five race categories: varsity eight, second varsity eight, varsity four, open four and novice eight. With NCAA Championships just two weeks away, the Aramark Sprints serve as a final chance for the South and Central region squads to boost their NCAA résumés. Just 12 schools will earn full-squad invitations to the championships along with four at-large V8+ shells.

Six schools from the 2009 Aramark field went on to the NCAA Championships, including Virginia and Clemson out of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

For more information on the South/Central Regional Championships, as well as up-to-date schedules and standings, please visit www.utladyvols.com.

For more information on the University of Miami rowing team, please log on to www.hurricanesports.com. Once there, you will find up-to-date news, results and information regarding the Hurricanes rowing program.