U of L Rowing to Face No. 12 Tennessee Saturday
March 24, 2006 | Rowing
March 24, 2006
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville rowing team will face its toughest test of the early racing season when the Cards meet No. 12 ranked Tennessee on Saturday at 10 a.m. ET in Knoxville, Tenn.
The Cards and Lady Vols will compete in Varsity 8+, Varsity 4+ and Novice 8+ races on Fort Loudoun Lake.
Tennessee, which debuted at No. 12 in the preseason USRowing/CRCA Varsity Eight Coaches Poll released on March 13, has advanced to three straight NCAA Championships and finished eighth in the nation in 2005 in the Varsity 8+.
"We're excited to race an exceptional opponent like Tennessee," said Cardinals' head coach Richard Ruggieri. "Our goal is simply to give them our best and focus upon what we can control."
The Cards, unranked in the preseason poll but among those receiving votes, enter this weekend's event after a pair of strong performances to open the spring racing season. U of L opened 2006 with the most impressive victory in the program's seven-year existence winning a pair of Varsity 8+ races over Minnesota, currently ranked No. 18 in the nation, on March 12 in Oak Ridge, Tenn., and the Cards followed that by sweeping 16 races against Tulsa and Buffalo just two days later.
Following this weekend's races at Tennessee, the Cards will continue their challenging schedule at the Indiana Cup on April 8 in Indianapolis, Ind., where they will face No. 2 ranked and defending national champion California and No. 8 Wisconsin along with Indiana and Purdue.
