Saturday, March 16
Oak Ridge, TN
9:00 AM
University of Louisville
at
Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational
Photo by: Adam Creech | Louisville Athletics
Louisville Opens Season with Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational
March 14, 2019 | Rowing
Cards host 11 programs in Tennessee regatta
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville rowing opens the 2019 championship season this weekend as they host the eighth annual Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational at the Melton Lake Rowing Venue in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
The Cardinals will be joined this weekend by 11 other programs, including fellow Atlantic Coast Conference members Clemson, Miami, Notre Dame and Virginia. Additional participants include Alabama, Indiana, Minnesota, Tennessee, Tulsa, Wisconsin and Yale.
Five of the competing squads are ranked in the CRCA preseason Top 20 (#5 Virginia, #7 Yale, #15 Wisconsin, #16 Indiana, #20 Minnesota), while four of the programs reached last season's NCAA Championships. In the same poll, Louisville garnered 19 votes, placing them 26th overall.
The regatta will open on Saturday with a morning session from 9 a.m.-noon ET, followed by an afternoon session from 2:30-6 p.m. ET. Competition will conclude with a Sunday morning session from 9 a.m.-noon ET. Live results from all three sessions will be available on the Louisville team Twitter account (@UofLRowing) and HereNow.com, with daily recaps following on GoCards.com.
Louisville begins its action on Saturday at 11:32 a.m. as it faces Notre Dame and Alabama, followed by afternoon races against Indiana and Miami starting at 4:44 p.m. On Sunday, the Cards open the final session by facing Tulsa and Virginia at 9 a.m.
"We are so grateful to be able to host a 'home' regatta in Oak Ridge," said associate head coach Sheila Rinozzi. "Five of the 12 teams competing were ranked in the top 20 of the CRCA preseason poll, while three other participants, including Louisville, received votes. It's great competition for us to see very early on in the season. It should be a great weekend of racing and will help us start off the season knowing exactly where we stand and what needs to happen between now and May to achieve our goals."
The Cards return to official competition for the first time since closing their fall season in November at the Rivanna Romp at the University of Virginia. In that event, the varsity eight finished third overall behind two boats from the hosting Cavaliers. Earlier in the fall, the championship eight boat placed 24th and the club eight boat finished 11th at the prestigious Head of the Charles in Boston. At the Head of the Hooch in Chattanooga, the varsity eight crew was victorious for the third-straight year, prevailing with a time of 14:59.871, besting the previous year's winning time by over a minute. The Cards also took first in the championship four race with a time of 16:24.491.
"We are planning for a great spring season," said head coach Derek Copeland. "The indoor training is going better than expected. We have a lot of youth on the program and they are really stepping up. I am really proud of our leadership group, our support staff and the coaches. They have worked very hard to help the youngest athletes blend with the most experienced athletes on and off the water."
Following Oak Ridge, the Cards face a challenging slate that will next send them to the Sunshine State Invitational in Sarasota, Fla. on April 5-6 before taking on Michigan and Michigan State in a dual event on May 5. UofL will also travel twice to Clemson for the Clemson Invitational on April 19-20 and the ACC Championship on May 18. The Cards return 27 members from last season's squad that finished fifth in the ACC Championship, including a program-best third place finish in the varsity eight championship final.
The Cardinals will be joined this weekend by 11 other programs, including fellow Atlantic Coast Conference members Clemson, Miami, Notre Dame and Virginia. Additional participants include Alabama, Indiana, Minnesota, Tennessee, Tulsa, Wisconsin and Yale.
Five of the competing squads are ranked in the CRCA preseason Top 20 (#5 Virginia, #7 Yale, #15 Wisconsin, #16 Indiana, #20 Minnesota), while four of the programs reached last season's NCAA Championships. In the same poll, Louisville garnered 19 votes, placing them 26th overall.
The regatta will open on Saturday with a morning session from 9 a.m.-noon ET, followed by an afternoon session from 2:30-6 p.m. ET. Competition will conclude with a Sunday morning session from 9 a.m.-noon ET. Live results from all three sessions will be available on the Louisville team Twitter account (@UofLRowing) and HereNow.com, with daily recaps following on GoCards.com.
Louisville begins its action on Saturday at 11:32 a.m. as it faces Notre Dame and Alabama, followed by afternoon races against Indiana and Miami starting at 4:44 p.m. On Sunday, the Cards open the final session by facing Tulsa and Virginia at 9 a.m.
"We are so grateful to be able to host a 'home' regatta in Oak Ridge," said associate head coach Sheila Rinozzi. "Five of the 12 teams competing were ranked in the top 20 of the CRCA preseason poll, while three other participants, including Louisville, received votes. It's great competition for us to see very early on in the season. It should be a great weekend of racing and will help us start off the season knowing exactly where we stand and what needs to happen between now and May to achieve our goals."
The Cards return to official competition for the first time since closing their fall season in November at the Rivanna Romp at the University of Virginia. In that event, the varsity eight finished third overall behind two boats from the hosting Cavaliers. Earlier in the fall, the championship eight boat placed 24th and the club eight boat finished 11th at the prestigious Head of the Charles in Boston. At the Head of the Hooch in Chattanooga, the varsity eight crew was victorious for the third-straight year, prevailing with a time of 14:59.871, besting the previous year's winning time by over a minute. The Cards also took first in the championship four race with a time of 16:24.491.
"We are planning for a great spring season," said head coach Derek Copeland. "The indoor training is going better than expected. We have a lot of youth on the program and they are really stepping up. I am really proud of our leadership group, our support staff and the coaches. They have worked very hard to help the youngest athletes blend with the most experienced athletes on and off the water."
Following Oak Ridge, the Cards face a challenging slate that will next send them to the Sunshine State Invitational in Sarasota, Fla. on April 5-6 before taking on Michigan and Michigan State in a dual event on May 5. UofL will also travel twice to Clemson for the Clemson Invitational on April 19-20 and the ACC Championship on May 18. The Cards return 27 members from last season's squad that finished fifth in the ACC Championship, including a program-best third place finish in the varsity eight championship final.
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