March 4, 2005
ORLANDO - The UCF women's rowing team will be divided into two squads for its opening weekend of competition on Saturday. The openweights travel to Tampa's Hillsborough River to take on perennial power Michigan, while the lightweights visit Lake Maitland to race in the Rollins Invitational.
The race against Michigan, which placed third in the NCAA Division I Championship in 2004, will be helpful in gauging where the Golden Knights are in relationship to one of the top crews in the country. UCF's Varsity Eight boat features a mix of veterans and newcomers with seniors Lisa Beltran (coxswain), Amy Price , and Kristin Roach, juniors Tanya Kleisler, Kyla Smith and Katherine Motes, sophomores Melissa Westhoff and Krystina Sarff and freshman Caitlin Pauls.
Also representing the Knights is the Junior Varsity Eight, Varsity Four and two Novice Eights.
Meanwhile, the lightweight squad faces the varsity crews from Stetson, Embry Riddle and Nova Southeastern in Winter Park. Last season, the Varsity Lightweight Eight were ranked as high as sixth in the USRowing Collegiate Women's Lightweight Eight National Poll and took sixth at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship. This year the lineup features many of the same rowers including senior Janae Corrado, junior Laura Brad and sophomores Robin Capers and Pamela Wall.