Womens Rowing Set for BIG EAST Championship

Schedule & Live Results

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The Orange women's rowing squad competes in the BIG EAST Championship this weekend at Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The championship opens with two varsity eight preliminary races at 8:30 and 8:40 a.m. on Sunday. Final races will begin at 11:50 a.m. The Orange received votes in the USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association NCAA Division I Varsity Eight Coaches Poll for the first time since March 30, 2006.

The Orange's most recent action came at the Charles River Challenge, when the Orange competed against the likes of Boston University, Dartmouth, Gonzaga, Harvard and Texas.

Syracuse, the third-seeded Varsity Eight, is currently recognized on the national level, receiving three votes in the April 23 CRCA Poll. The Orange tied the Cardinals for second place in the team standings at last year's championship, but due to UofL's edge in the Varsity Eight race, SU was awarded third.

The Syracuse novice eight won the 2007 BIG EAST Championship with a time of 6:52.15. It was the second consecutive season the novice eight captured the conference title. Overall, the Orange placed third in the 2007 team standings.

Syracuse won the first three BIG EAST Rowing Challenges in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

This is the fifth year in which the conference has hosted a women's rowing championship. Notre Dame has taken the title four straight seasons, and enters this year's contest as the No. 1 Varsity Eight seed. The Fighting Irish, No. 18 in the April 23 Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association/USRowing Varsity Eight Rankings, most recently won four races on April 20 at the Charles River Challenge. The Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight, Varsity Four and Novice Four boats all defeated Boston University. ND's Varsity Eight also scored a win over Northeastern at the challenge, while the Varsity Four took two wins over the Huskies.

The Fighting Irish have had a strong season, including Varsity Eight victories over Stanford and UCLA on March 29. The team also won eight of 14 races against Michigan State and Miami on April 5, and all six races at the Indiana Invitational on April 12.

Louisville enters the championship with the No. 2 seeded Varsity Eight. The Cardinals, who just missed a spot on the latest CRCA Poll with 30 votes, have finished second at the conference championship the last two years. UofL's Second Varsity Eight is coming off a strong race against Michigan on April 19, in which it bested the Wolverines 5:55.9 to 5:56.9. Prior to the win, the boat topped five other schools for the best finish in the Junior Varsity-Petite Final at the San Diego Crew Classic Regatta on April 6. The Varsity Eight finished second in the College Varsity Invitational at the same regatta. UofL opened its season winning four of six races at Indiana on March 23.

Last season's sixth-place finisher, Connecticut, enters this year's championship with the fourth-seeded Varsity Eight, which most recently defeated Colgate on April 19. The Varsity Eight previously finished fifth at the Knecht Cup on April 13 and paired with the Second Varsity Eight team for a sweep of Villanova on March 30. The Varsity Four also defeated the Wildcats, as well as Saint Joseph's, in the dual race.

Rutgers recently finished third to Penn and Cornell at the Raritan Cup on April 19. The Scarlet Knights, the fifth-seeded Varsity Eight, enters the championship with experience against ranked squads, having faced then-No. 12 Brown on April 12. RU's Varsity and Second Varsity Eights earned third-place finishes against Princeton and Columbia on April 5.

Sixth-seeded Georgetown last took sixth place at the George Washington Invitational on April 12. Prior to the invitational, the Hoyas' Varsity Eight recorded impressive victories over North Carolina and Delaware on March 29 at the Lake Wheeler Invitational. GU also defeated George Mason at the Patriot's invitational on April 6. The Hoyas will seek to improve upon their 2007 seventh-place finish.

West Virginia rounds out the championship's first Varsity Eight heat as the No. 7 seed. The Mountaineers, eighth-place finishers at last season's championship, last competed at the Knecht Cup on April 12-13 and their Varsity Four finished second. WVU's Varsity Four opened the season with wins over Dayton and Duquesne on April 5, while its Varsity Eight finished second behind the Flyers.

Villanova rounds out the conference participants with the eighth-seeded Varsity Eight. The Wildcats' second Varsity Four secured a first place finish at the April 12-13 Knecht Cup, defeated second-place Boston College by 6.5 seconds. After opening its spring season with a first-place finish at the Rollins Invitational on March 8, VU's Varsity Eight took third place at the Murphy Cup on March 20.

The complete racing schedule can be found on the BIG EAST Championship Central page at www.bigeast.org.

Syracuse Boatings

Varsity Eight

Kate Todd (coxswain), Ally Doodeman (stroke), Natalie Mastracci (7 seat), Erica Mahon (6 seat), Liz Henwood (5 seat), Kaitlin Grant (4 seat), Rachael Ogundiran (3 seat), Lindsay Lentini (2 seat) and Jess Tacinelli (bow) .

Second Varsity Eight

Tina Campagna (coxswain), Theresa Allessio (stoke), Ashley Tabor (7 seat), Heidi Bulk (6 seat), Ildiko Toth (5 seat), Sarah Stapp (4 seat), Christine Turner (3 seat), Maura Helmer (2 seat) and Christine DePompeo (bow).

Varsity Four
Lydia Wong (coxswain), Jacque Lee (stroke), Julia Ruskin (3 seat), Allison Ehrke (2 seat) and Anne Van Houten (bow).

Second Varsity Four

Emily White (coxswain), Zaula Usman (stroke), Susan Groff (3 seat), Brittany Jock (2 seat) and Mandy DeHaven (bow).

Novice Eight

Catherine Wilcox (coxswain), Ali Sayer (stoke), Mary Ellen Anderson (7 seat), Brandis Arcadia (6 seat), Melody Miller (5 seat), Alex Pines (4 seat), Laura Murphy (3 seat), Victoria Batha (2 seat) and Kelsey Wiemer (bow).