University of Louisville
at SIRA Championships
Cardinal Rowers Win Two Medals at SIRA Championships
April 19, 2003 | Rowing
April 19, 2003
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - Competing against some of the toughest collegiate programs in the nation, the University of Louisville rowing team more than held its own as the Cardinals won a pair of medals and narrowly missed out on a third at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship Saturday. The prestigious competition was held on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
The Cardinals' Varsity 8+ crew, seeded third in the 23-team competition, won a bronze medal with a third-place time of 6:36.1. The medal was the first-ever in the varsity competition for the Cardinals.
Tennessee, ranked 20th in the nation, won the race with a 2,000-meter time of 6:29.8, with 25th-ranked West Virginia finishing second in 6:35.7, just four-tenths of a second ahead of U of L. Purdue placed fourth in 6:45.1, Cincinnati fifth in 6:46.3 and SMU sixth (6:48.7).
Louisville's boat was comprised of Leslie Walters, Lisa Terreberry, Brooke Spence, Stephanie Hutton, Carmen Noltemeyer, Stephanie George, Jessica Grigsby, Allison Kemphaus and coxswain Diana Golub.
"I am really proud of the varsity," said head coach Richard Ruggieri. "They kept fighting and fighting and had a phenomenal final 1,000 meters. We have really closed the gap with the elite programs and hopefully our performance this weekend will get us into the top 25."
In the Second Novice 8+ race, the Cardinals captured a silver medal with a runner-up finish. West Virginia won the race with a time of 7:26.01, followed by Louisville (7:41.0), Georgia (7:50.2) and Central Florida (7:51.3).
Toncia LeDesma coxed the Cardinal boat of Rania Attum, Meredith McBride, Amanda Clephas, Mandy Moore, Jenna Sample, Jenni Vadney, Dena Broughman-Scott and Devon Scott.
The Cardinals' First Novice 8+ crew missed out on a medal by less than half a second with a fourth-place time of 7:07.3. Purdue won the race in 6:50.8, followed by Tennessee (6:54.8), Central Florida (7:06.9), Louisville, West Virginia (7:14.7) and George Mason (7:28.2).
U of L's boat was made up of Mandy Botelho, Natalie Richards, Amelia Buhts, Miranda Popp, K.C. McCrocklin, Jessica Gaul, Olivia Brittain, Courtney Graham and coxswain Shannon Gilland.
"The novices had a great regatta," said novice coach Laurie Featherstone. "They worked hard and I am proud of their effort. After a year of collegiate rowing experience, they should all help our program tremendously next year."
Louisville will host the Second Annual Kentucky State Championship next Sunday. The Cardinals will battle Murray State on the Ohio River near Six Mile Island. More details on the event will be released later this week.
