Orange Ready For Title Run at 2007 IRA Regatta

Orange Lineups

The Syracuse rowing team concludes its 2007 season at the IRA Regatta, May 31-June 2, on Cooper River in Camden, N.J. The event, which serves as a national championship in collegiate men’s rowing, features more than two dozen crews from across the nation.

Syracuse’s varsity eight, fresh of completing a second-consecutive undefeated season with its Packard Cup victory on May 20, is seeded ninth in the 24-crew field. The Orange is in Heat A with top-seeded Washington and eighth-seeded Brown. There are four three-boat heats on the morning of Thursday, May 31, beginning at 7:36 a.m.

Syracuse has five members of the 2006 IRA varsity eight back in the boat this year. An injury to senior Justin Stangel will keep him out of the varsity eight boat for the second-consecutive week. Senior Andrew Ross will again fill his spot, but has been shifted to the seven seat and junior Ryan Armstrong is back in the bow.

The Orange junior varsity eight also received the ninth-seed in the 22-crew second varsity field. Syracuse is in Heat A, along with top-seeded Wisconsin and eighth-seeded Georgetown. Six members of the 2006 SU junior varsity eight, which came in ninth place, will compete in 2007. The second varsity heats begin at 9:24 on Thursday.

In the eights races, the top two boats in each heat qualify for the first two heats of the semifinals. All other boats are entered in the repechage heat. The winner of the repechage heat advances to either semifinal 1 or 2, and all others are placed in semifinals 3 and 4.

The semifinal heats are held on Friday, June 1. Only the crews in semifinals 1 and 2 can qualify for the grand final. The top three boats in each heat advance to the grand final, while the other three boats in each heat advance to the petite final.

Syracuse also has boats in the freshman eight, straight varsity four, and varsity four with coxswain races.

At the 2006 IRA, the varsity eight finished second in the petite final and eighth overall. The JV eight came in third in the petite final, ninth overall, and the freshman eight came in third in the third level final, 15th place overall. The Orange also had a boat in the straight varsity four race, which placed third in the third level final.

Syracuse has won 27 IRA championships. Six of those titles have been won by varsity eight boats, the last in 1978. The Orange freshmen eight won three-consecutive titles from 1976-78. From 1952-1992, the regatta was held on the home water of the Orange, Onondaga Lake. The race had to be moved in 1993 due to flooding, but returned in 1994. It has been held in Camden since 1995. The regatta has also been held on the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie, Saratoga Lake, the Ohio River, and Cayuga Lake.

Syracuse University Athletics

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