March 5, 2005
ORLANDO - The UCF women's rowing team, which split into openweight and lightweight squads for the weekend, raced impressively in their 2005 spring debuts on Saturday.
In Tampa, the Golden Knight openweights took on perennial power Michigan on the Hillsborough River. The Wolverines, which finished third at the 2004 NCAA Division I Championships, won all three races, but UCF narrowed the gap between the two teams.
The Varsity Eight race saw UM finish in 6:19.4 followed by the Knights in second at 6:24.2. In the Varsity Four event, Michigan earned a time of 7:16.91 with UCF crossing the finish at 7:23.06 before Michigan's "B" boat (7:32.86).
The Novice Eight was similar as the Wolverines clocked in at 6:49.18 and UCF's top boat was 16 seconds behind.
Meanwhile, the lightweights earned top honors during the Rollins Invitational, which was held at Winter Park's Lake Maitland. The Knights were first in both the Varsity Eight and Novice Eight, before finishing third to Nova Southeastern and UConn in the Varsity Four.
The Golden Knights return to action at the Hurricane Invitational in Miami on March 12.