March 6, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF novice rowing team opens its 2009 season Saturday as four novice 8+ boats are slated to represent the Knights at the Metro Cup in nearby Winter Park. The regatta hosted by Rollins College will get underway at 8 a.m. on Lake Maitland.
The Second College Four boat of Katrina Bermudez, Lily Guy, Jessica Hewkin, Ashley Gallo and Vanessa Sabatier will kick-off the event for UCF at 8:40 a.m., before two of the Knights' boats will compete in the varsity 4+ race at 9:20 a.m. The first varsity 4+ boat consists of Claire Frenkel, Caitlin Matthews, Tina Bechtold, Michelle Haves and Lucia Pinelli, while the second boat will feature Kristen Novo, Janaye Radtke, Katie Wieland and Rainey Booker.
The Black and Gold will conclude the event in the varsity 4+ race at 10:30 a.m. Racing in the event finale will be Frenkel, Matthews, Bechtold, Haves, Pinelli, Margaret Lahmeyer, Nina Morgan, Guy and Alyssa Egan.
In 12 year of competing at the Metro Cup, the Knights have totaled 36 victories at the regatta, including 11-straight in the varsity 8+ event.
Last season, the Knights' lightweight squad grabbed the victory in the varsity 8+ event with a time of 6:54.1, followed by the novice boat in second place. Rollins finished a distant third, timing in at 7:19.3.
UCF's lightweights also locked up the victory in the varsity 4+ race in 2008, defeating the Tars by close to 17 seconds with a time of 7:34.9. Rollins did manage to squeak out the win in the JV 4+, posting a time of 8:03.2 while the UCF novice lightweight finished with a time of 8:04.4. The Black and Gold's novice open-weight boat also competed in the event to take third place.
Collegiate novice events are limited to college scullers, rowers and coxswains in NCAA programs who have been competing for one year or less as of the Regatta Day. Experience in sculling events does not count as experience in sweep events and vice versa. Previous junior/high school rowing experience is allowed in this category.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
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