Cardinal Rowers Head to Tennessee for Lexus Sprints
May 16, 2003 | Rowing
May 16, 2003
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville women's rowing team will face some of the top teams from the Central and South regions this weekend when it travels to Oak Ridge, Tenn., to compete in the seventh annual Lexus Sprints. The two-day event, featuring a record 21 teams, begins Saturday on Melton Hill Lake.
U of L is coming off a five-race sweep over Murray State at the Kentucky State Championships two weeks ago. The Cardinals' Varsity 8+ boat, which was ranked 29th in the nation earlier this spring, will be trying to improve on last year's fifth-place finish.
"Training has gone well the past few weeks, with an emphasis on both volume and intensity," said U of L head coach Richard Ruggieri. "We hope to show added speed as we prepare to race some of the finest crews in collegiate rowing."
Among the schools represented will be No. 7 Michigan, No. 10 Ohio State, No. 11 Michigan State, No. 12 Virginia, No. 15 Iowa, No. 17 Texas and No. 19 Tennessee.
Louisville's boat will consist of Leslie Walters, Allison Kemphaus, Brooke Spence, Stephanie Hutton, Carmen Noltemeyer, Stephanie George, Jessica Grigsby, Lisa Terreberry and coxswain Christy Ochsner.
"With an entire Varsity 8+ returning next year, we hope to use this regatta as an opportunity to learn, grow and hopefully reach our goals," said Ruggieri.
The 21 teams will be hoping to improve their chances at making the NCAA Women's Rowing Championships, one of the most difficult fields to make in the NCAA's list of sponsored sports.
Only 12 full teams are selected to compete in the championships, which includes one automatic bid from each of the five regions. Each of those 12 teams fields a 1st varsity 8+ boat, a 2nd varsity 8+ boat and a varsity 4+ boat at NCAAs.
In addition, four varsity 8+ shells will be selected from institutions not represented in the team competition. U of L is competing for one of these four varsity 8+ bids.
The NCAA Division I Women's Rowing Committee selects participants, which will include one team from each of the five regions as well as seven at-large bids. The 2003 NCAA Championships will be held from May 30-June 1 at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis, Ind.
