May 13, 2007
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (www.UCFAthletics.com) - Paced by the No. 11 varsity eight's grand final appearance, the UCF women's rowing team finished third in the South Region standings - ninth overall - at the Aramark South/Central Sprints at Melton Lake on Sunday. It was the team's highest ever finish at the event.
Virginia won the overall team and South Region title with 440 points followed by Ohio State (366 points), who took home the Central Region championship. Host Tennessee (352), Wisconsin (346) and Notre Dame (341) rounded out the top five. UCF collected 294 points.
The Knights' varsity eight boat, featuring coxswain Katie Chapman, Caitlin Pauls, Krystina Sarff, Stephanie Pauls, Tara Rogers, Tanis Franchuk, Melissa Westhoff, Stephanie Adams and Erin Riegel, claimed sixth in the grand final with a time of 6:40.76, just under three seconds behind fifth-place Minnesota. No. 5 Virginia won the event at 6:30.40.
Meanwhile, the UCF open four of coxswain Lauren Patton, Erika Frantz, Lauren Rice, Alyson Davis, and Ashlynn O'Connor took top honors in the event's petite final at 7:44.00. They beat Texas by seven seconds.
In other petite finals, the Knights earned third place in the varsity four and finished fourth in both the second varsity eight and novice eight.
"It was a great showing," said head coach Leeanne Crain. "I am very proud of what team was able to accomplish this weekend. Now we have to wait to see what the NCAA decides about our future."
UCF will discover its postseason fate on Tuesday afternoon when the NCAA announces the field for the 2007 NCAA Rowing Championships, which take place May 25-27 in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports.
Top 10 South Region Team Standings
1. Virginia, 440
2. Tennessee, 352
3. UCF, 294
4. Louisville, 285
5. Clemson, 225
6. Duke, 190
7. Texas, 158
8. Miami, 99
9. North Carolina, 92
10. SMU, 27
Varsity Eight
(grand final)
1. Virginia, 6:30.40
2. Ohio State, 6:33.92
3. Notre Dame, 6:34.68
4. Tennessee, 6:37.10
5. Minnesota, 6:37.86
6. UCF, 6:40.76
Second Varsity Eight
(petite final)
1. Ohio State, 6:51.40
2. Michigan, 6:51.82
3. Notre Dame, 6:56.43
4. UCF, 6:59.96
5. Clemson, 7:01.28
6. Duke, 7:05.87
Novice Eight
(petite final)
1. Clemson, 7:08.10
2. Kansas, 7:11.83
3. Ohio State, 7:14.28
4. UCF, 7:16.19
5. Iowa, 7:18.45
6. Tennessee "A", 7:23.84
Varsity Four
(petite final)
1. Michigan State, 7:44.60
2. Michigan, 7:46.12
3. UCF, 7:49.43
4. Kansa, 7:52.52
5. Clemson, 7:55.17
6. Louisville, 8:00.02
Open Four
(petite final)
1. UCF, 7:44.00
2. Texas, 7:51.23
3. Ohio State, 7:55.42
4. Notre Dame, 7:57.01
5. Indiana, 8:04.75
6. Kansas, 8:14.10