University of Louisville
at SIRA Championships
Cardinal Rowers Advance to Finals of SIRA Championships
April 20, 2002 | Rowing
April 20, 2002
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - The University of Louisville Varsity 8+ team recorded the second fastest time of the day on Saturday to advance to tomorrow's Grand Final of the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships (SIRA) on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
The Cardinals, who entered the 21-team competition as the fourth seed, opened the day with a win over fifth-seeded Delaware to advance to the semifinals.
In the semifinals, U of L finished second in the 2000m race with a time of 6:50.3, only 1.3 seconds behind second-seeded Tennessee. The two times were the fastest of the day heading into tomorrow's finals.
Joining Louisville and Tennessee in Sunday's Grand Final is Cincinnati, Miami, Tulsa and Delaware. The race should be an exciting one as the six teams were separated by just 6.2 seconds in their semifinal race times.
"The team raced extremely hard today," said head coach Richard Ruggieri. "There are a few areas that we need to build upon in order for us to reach our goal tomorrow. I am really pleased with the team's speed and determination and hopefully after some rest we will come out strong in the finals."
Coxswain Christy Ochsner guided the Cardinals' Varsity 8+ squad, which consisted of Allison Kemphaus, Ashley Spence, Leslie Walters, Lucy Svehla, Carmen Noltemeyer, Stephanie George, Brooke Spence and Nikki Lee.
In the Novice 4+ race, the Cardinals also advanced to Sunday's Grand Final with a win in the semifinal race.
Coxswain Diana Golub led the Novice 4+ squad of Andrea Murray, Holly Tomkins, Tabitha Thomas and Karen Bramer.
Sunday's Grand Finals will begin at 8 a.m. and will run until approximately 11 a.m.
