May 25, 2007
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (www.UCFAthletics.com) - The No. 14 UCF varsity eight made school history on Friday at Melton Hill Lake, appearing in the program's first ever NCAA Women's Rowing Championship.
The Knights opened the day with a fifth-place showing in their preliminary heat, which boasted some of the event's fastest times of the day. UCF was four seconds behind the leading Virginia boat 500 meters into the race before finishing at 6:45.29.
The top three in each morning heat advanced to the semifinals, while the remaining boats competed in the repechage during the afternoon for one of the final three semifinal spots.
In the repechage, the UCF entry - which features coxswain Katie Chapman, Caitlin Pauls, Brittney Kusner, Stephanie Pauls, Krystina Sarff, Tanis Franchuk, Melissa Westhoff, Stephanie Adams, and Erin Riegel - took seventh at 6:52.27.
The Knights' appearance in the NCAA Championships caps off the most successful year in program history. The varsity eight kicked off the spring with nine consecutive wins and was rewarded with its highest ever national ranking as UCF peaked at No. 9 in the USRowing/CRCA NCAA Division I Varsity Eight poll.
UCF concludes competition at the 2007 NCAA Championships on Sunday at 12:15 p.m. ET when they battle Washington, UCLA and California in the third final.
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.