March 11, 2005
ORLANDO - After losing half its fleet of boats due to Tuesday's heavy winds, the UCF women's rowing team will regroup against some solid opponents in regattas on Saturday. The openweights head to Miami Beach for the Hurricane Invitational, while the lightweights return to Winter Park for the Rollins Tri-Meet.
Nine of the Golden Knights' boats - most from the novice fleet - were damaged in the winds earlier in the week, but the coaches worked diligently to find solutions to the dilemma. They contacted boatbuilders and may be getting some help from the Rollins program. "We're working through it," said UCF head coach Leeanne Crain, who is in her second year at the helm. "We are thankful that we have such a good neighbor like Rollins."
Meanwhile, the Knights continue competing. The varsity and novice openweight boats will see action in up to three races each in a dual format at the Hurricane Invitational. The Varsity Eight is focused on their opening match-up with Miami, a team they defeated last fall at the Head of the Chattahoochee. The boat will be guided by freshman Kim Swift as senior coxswain Lisa Beltran had to attend to a family emergency.
"We're really hoping to start the spring with a win against Miami because we will see them at least four times, including at the state championships," said Crain. In addition to Miami, the Varsity Eight also takes on Rochester and Barry.
The Novice Eight will also face Rochester and Miami as well as Nova Southeastern, while the Junior Varsity Eight races Miami and Rochester. The Varsity Four competes against Miami and Nova. Finally, the Second Novice Eight has only one race against Rochester.
Meanwhile, the lightweight squad returns to Lake Maitland for the second consecutive week. The Varsity and Novice Eight will both meet Rollins and Villanova, a team that has a formidable lightweight program. In addition to those two opponents, the Junior Varsity Four also faces the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.