Louisville Ready for 2015 ACC Rowing Championship
May 14, 2015 | Rowing
Louisville's varsity eight boats during Thursday's training prior to the ACC Championship.
- 2015 ACC Rowing Championship Central
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville rowing team makes its inaugural appearance at the ACC Championships this weekend on Lake Hartwell in Clemson, S.C.
The competition begins on Friday at 6 p.m., ET with 10 heat races in the five different championship scoring events. Saturday's championship finals begin at 8:05 a.m., and are scheduled to conclude with the awards ceremony at 10 a.m. The teams will compete in varsity eight, second varsity eight, third varsity eight, varsity four and second varsity four events. The Championship finals will be streamed live in its entirety by ESPN3 starting at 8 a.m., with Dean Linke and Steve Pritzker providing the play-by-play and analysis.
"We are so excited to finally be participating at the ACC Rowing championship. We have been gearing our program for this event since we were accepted into the ACC," said Louisville head coach Derek Copeland. "I expect that we will be able to represent our true speed, but the competition is very strong in the ACC. This team has shown that they are the most resilient group that we have ever had. They are young, hungry and geared to make the most of this opportunity."
Three ACC teams are ranked in the latest CRCA/USRowing Coaches Poll heading into the championship, led by No. 3 Virginia. The Cavaliers have won five straight ACC titles and are the top seeded team in the each of the five events this weekend. They're joined in the national rankings by No. 16 Syracuse and No. 19 Notre Dame, while the Cardinals are among a group of unranked teams receiving votes.
"This will probably be the toughest competition that we've faced in a conference championship, but we've never been more ready," said senior captain Jami Montesano. "We're all really excited to show our true speed now that we've had more time on the water. I think it's going to be a really great weekend for us."
Last season, the Cardinals swept every event in winning the inaugural American Athletic Conference Championship. Earning the program's first invitation to the NCAA Championship in 2014, Louisville rowed to a 17th-place finish during the three-day event. The winning team this weekend in Clemson will earn the ACC's automatic berth into the 2015 NCAA Championship, set for May 29-31 in Gold River, Calif.
Fans can follow Louisville rowing on Twitter (@UofLRowing) at http://twitter.com/UofLRowing.
ACC Rowing Championship Schedule of Events
Friday, May 15
6:00 pm - III Varsity Eight (Heat 1)
6:10 pm - III Varsity Eight (Heat 2)
6:20 pm - II Varsity Four (Heat 1)
6:30 pm - II Varsity Four (Heat 2)
6:40 pm - I Varsity Four (Heat 1)
6:50 pm - I Varsity Four (Heat 2)
7:00 pm - II Varsity Eight (Heat 1)
7:10 pm - II Varsity Eight (Heat 2)
7:20 pm - I Varsity Eight (Heat 1)
7:30 pm - I Varsity Eight (Heat 2)
Saturday, May 16
8:05 am - III Varsity Eight (Petite Final)
8:15 am - III Varsity Eight (Grand Final)
8:25 am - II Varsity Four (Petite Final)
8:35 am - II Varsity Four (Grand Final)
8:45 am - I Varsity Four (Petite Final)
8:55 am - I Varsity Four (Grand Final)
9:05 am - II Varsity Eight (Petite Final)
9:15 am - II Varsity Eight (Grand Final)
9:25 am - I Varsity Eight (Petite Final)
9:35 am - I Varsity Eight (Grand Final)
10:00 am - Awards Ceremony
