#19 Women's Rowing Opens at Nordic Nine

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The No. 19 Syracuse University women's rowing team opens its spring racing season on Friday night at the Nordic Nine on Cayuga Lake in Ithaca, N.Y. Syracuse will send six boats in its first competition of the spring campaign.

"Our spring results will reposition this team in the national landscape," head coach Justin Moore stated. "We beat Princeton in the fall and are currently 12 spots behind them in the latest poll. Part of that is respect to the Princeton program and they have been perennial contenders at the NCAA Championships. I think a lot of the coaches are sitting around saying you need to prove it to us in the spring. That is really what the team and I are excited to go out there and do."

Syracuse enters the spring season with high expectations. After a successful fall season, the Orange was ranked No. 17 in the Preseason Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA)/USRowing Coaches Poll, its highest appearance in the preseason coaches' poll since 2004. In the fall, Syracuse had the top collegiate fours boat at the Head of the Charles and placed third in the varsity eight at the Princeton Chase.

The first event of the spring season showcases some of the top talent in the region. Five teams in the field, including Syracuse, were ranked in the top 20 of the preseason coaches' rankings. No. 6 Yale is the top-ranked team in the field, while the No. 19 Orange is the second-highest ranked squad. Boston University, Buffalo, Cornell, Iowa, Northeastern, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island all will participate in the competition, as well.

"The format of this race is interesting and it is called the Nordic Nine jokingly," added Moore. "We wanted to have a group of schools that were going to face similar climate challenges. For this group of schools, we have all faced the same challenges presented by this winter. It is a fair race, in terms of preparation. It's an opportunity for our athletes to get races under their belts against people who have similar amounts of water time."

Racing will begin on Friday night at 5 p.m. with the third varsity eights. Six total races will occur on Friday night. Competition will resume on Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. and will conclude with varsity eights beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Syracuse Schedule
Friday, April 3
5:05 p.m. | Third Varsity Eight
5:35 p.m. | Second Varsity Four
6:05 p.m. | First Varsity Four
6:35 p.m. | Second Varsity Eight
7:05 p.m. | First Varsity Eight
7:30 p.m. | Fourth Varsity Eight

Saturday, April 4
7:30 a.m. | Third Varsity Eight
8:00 a.m. | Second Varsity Four
8:30 a.m. | First Varsity Four
9:00 a.m. | Second Varsity Eight
9:30 a.m. | First Varsity Eight

Syracuse University Athletics

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