Saturday, March 12
Oak Ridge, TN
All Day
University of Louisville
at
Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational
Louisville Opens Spring with Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational
March 11, 2016 | Rowing
No. 20 Cardinals joined by No. 4 Virginia, No. 11 Michigan and No. 17 Notre Dame for two-day event
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 20th-ranked University of Louisville rowing team will officially kick off the 2016 spring season with the fifth annual Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational on Saturday and Sunday at the Melton Lake Rowing Venue. Hosted by the Louisville rowing program, the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational has evolved into an extremely competitive event featuring a talented field of crews from around the nation.
A trio of teams ranked in this week's USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association poll join the No. 20 Cardinals at this year's event, highlighted defending ACC champion and fourth-ranked Virginia. The 12-team field also features No. 11 Michigan, No. 17 Notre Dame, Alabama, UCF, Clemson, Kansas, Michigan State, Minnesota, Oklahoma and West Virginia.
"Early on, we saw this race as an opportunity to get some organized racing during our spring training, but more recently, it seems to have moved the start of the competitive rowing season to mid-March," said Louisville rowing head coach Derek Copeland. "There are so many wonderful programs that are attending and many more that have requested to be included in the future. Although it is a pretty serious start to the season, it does offer a couple more opportunities for the student-athletes to enjoy their sport. I am truly grateful to the Oak Ridge Rowing Association for making this possible again this year. They have a great venue in a wonderful city."
The two-day event will feature morning and afternoon racing on Saturday (March 12) as well as morning racing on Sunday. Racing on the 2,000-meter course at the Melton Lake Rowing Venue is slated to begin at 9:14 a.m., ET each day, while Saturday's afternoon session is slated to begin at 3:10 p.m. Real-time results for the event will be provided through the Louisville rowing twitter account (@UofLRowing), while final results at the end of each day will be published on Row2K.com and GoCards.com.
"We are going into this year's contest with a bit more rowing under our belt. We've had two successful scrimmages so far and have enjoyed a few great days on the Ohio River already this year. The team is happy, motivated and as gritty as ever," Copeland said of his team. "I'm very proud of the leadership our senior class has provided over the last few months. The staff has worked hard to keep this team productive and motivated. It continues to be a positive environment even on the rough days, and I feel like it is a special place to work and train."
"Winter training can take a toll on the physical and mental state of a team, but we have a group of nine seniors who have demonstrated great leadership and have helped the team maintain its drive to excel in all areas," said team captain and senior Katie Nord. "We are all very excited to race this weekend and kickoff spring season."
The Cardinals completed their fall season last November at the Rivanna Romp in Charlottesville, Virginia. Since then, they have worked on and off the water during another intense winter training period. This week's event in Oak Ridge begins a busy spring season for Louisville, which is also slated to compete at the ACC/Big Ten Double Dual on April 2, the Clemson Invitational on April 16-17 and at Michigan on April 30 before traveling back to Clemson, South Carolina for the ACC Championships on May 13-14.
"Everyone involved, from the coaches, support staff, athletic trainers, and student-athletes have worked exceptionally hard this winter to prepare for our best spring yet," said Louisville rowing assistant coach Sheila Rinozzi. "It is a very challenging environment, yet time and time again, we have seen the group rise above and seize the opportunities they are presented with. This is truly special team and I cannot wait to see how our preparation translates to speed this weekend."
Fans can follow University of Louisville rowing on Twitter (@UofLRowing) at http://twitter.com/UofLRowing.
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A trio of teams ranked in this week's USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association poll join the No. 20 Cardinals at this year's event, highlighted defending ACC champion and fourth-ranked Virginia. The 12-team field also features No. 11 Michigan, No. 17 Notre Dame, Alabama, UCF, Clemson, Kansas, Michigan State, Minnesota, Oklahoma and West Virginia.
"Early on, we saw this race as an opportunity to get some organized racing during our spring training, but more recently, it seems to have moved the start of the competitive rowing season to mid-March," said Louisville rowing head coach Derek Copeland. "There are so many wonderful programs that are attending and many more that have requested to be included in the future. Although it is a pretty serious start to the season, it does offer a couple more opportunities for the student-athletes to enjoy their sport. I am truly grateful to the Oak Ridge Rowing Association for making this possible again this year. They have a great venue in a wonderful city."
The two-day event will feature morning and afternoon racing on Saturday (March 12) as well as morning racing on Sunday. Racing on the 2,000-meter course at the Melton Lake Rowing Venue is slated to begin at 9:14 a.m., ET each day, while Saturday's afternoon session is slated to begin at 3:10 p.m. Real-time results for the event will be provided through the Louisville rowing twitter account (@UofLRowing), while final results at the end of each day will be published on Row2K.com and GoCards.com.
"We are going into this year's contest with a bit more rowing under our belt. We've had two successful scrimmages so far and have enjoyed a few great days on the Ohio River already this year. The team is happy, motivated and as gritty as ever," Copeland said of his team. "I'm very proud of the leadership our senior class has provided over the last few months. The staff has worked hard to keep this team productive and motivated. It continues to be a positive environment even on the rough days, and I feel like it is a special place to work and train."
"Winter training can take a toll on the physical and mental state of a team, but we have a group of nine seniors who have demonstrated great leadership and have helped the team maintain its drive to excel in all areas," said team captain and senior Katie Nord. "We are all very excited to race this weekend and kickoff spring season."
The Cardinals completed their fall season last November at the Rivanna Romp in Charlottesville, Virginia. Since then, they have worked on and off the water during another intense winter training period. This week's event in Oak Ridge begins a busy spring season for Louisville, which is also slated to compete at the ACC/Big Ten Double Dual on April 2, the Clemson Invitational on April 16-17 and at Michigan on April 30 before traveling back to Clemson, South Carolina for the ACC Championships on May 13-14.
"Everyone involved, from the coaches, support staff, athletic trainers, and student-athletes have worked exceptionally hard this winter to prepare for our best spring yet," said Louisville rowing assistant coach Sheila Rinozzi. "It is a very challenging environment, yet time and time again, we have seen the group rise above and seize the opportunities they are presented with. This is truly special team and I cannot wait to see how our preparation translates to speed this weekend."
Fans can follow University of Louisville rowing on Twitter (@UofLRowing) at http://twitter.com/UofLRowing.
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