May 6, 2006
SEATTLE - The UCF women's rowing team competed in one of the top regattas in the country on Saturday, participating in the Windermere Cup. The Golden Knights' varsity eight boat, ranked 19th nationally, raced against No. 10 Washington and the Russian Under-23 National Team on Lake Washington's Montlake Cut.
The Russian crew, which included five rowers from the national team that placed second in the "B" final at the 2005 World Championships, crossed the finish line at 6:50.06 to win the race. UCF finished third in 7:06.09, just behind the host Huskies (6:57.17).
"We had hoped for a better performance today," said UCF head coach Leeanne Crain. "We fell off the pace in the first 1,000 meters and could not gather the momentum needed to come back in the final stretch."
Thousands of fans lined the course to watch the Windermere Cup races, which serve as the kickoff event for the Opening Day festivities that celebrate the start of boating season in the Northwest.
The Golden Knights were racing for the first time since April 15 when they participated in the Stanford Invitational in Redwood Shores, Calif.
UCF will return to the waters closer to home next Saturday, competing at the South/Central Regional in Oakridge, Tenn.
Windermere Cup results
1. Russia 6:50.06
2. Washington 6:57.17
3. UCF 7:06.09