May 16, 2009
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF rowing's novice eight boat advanced to the Grand Final of the Aramark Sprints South/Central Regional Championships with a first-place finish in its preliminary race and a second-place performance in the semi-finals Saturday on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Meanwhile, both the Knights' varsity eight and varsity four boats earned spots in the regatta's Petite Final.
The novice-eight squad continued its dominant season in its opening race, posting a time of 6:38.0 to defeat second-place Michigan, who came in at 6:39.8, and to move onto the A/B semi-final later in the afternoon. In their semi-final race, the Knights clocked in at 6:34.9 to place second behind Virginia, who finished in 6:31.1.
The novice boat's appearance in the Grand Final on Sunday, slated for 10:50 a.m., will be their second-straight after making an appearance in the event last season for the first time. With a time of 6:27.36 in their preliminary race,
UCF's varsity eight squad placed third behind No. 14 Wisconsin (6:19.7) and No. 8 Ohio State (6:22.36) to advance to the A/B semi-final. Competing against four teams ranked in the nation's top-20 in its semi-final event, the Black and Gold placed sixth with a time of 6:21.9, its fastest time of the day, to move on to the Petite Final on Sunday at 11:40 a.m. No. 3 Michigan earned the victory in the event with a time of 6:04.4.
UCF's varsity four also put together a strong outing at the regional championship, advancing to the A/B Semi-final after crossing the finish line in 7:14.63, which was good for third, in its preliminary race. Later in the afternoon, the varsity-four boat picked up a fifth-place finish in the semi-finals with a time of 7:09.8 to advance to the Petite Final, which is set to get underway at 11 a.m.
The second varsity eight and second varsity four teams will both compete in their C Finals on Sunday at 10 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., respectively. The second varsity eight defeated the field in its C/D Semi-final after crossing the finish in 6:32.6, to move into the C Final.
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UCF's Results on Day One of the Aramark Sprints South/Central Regional Championships
Open 4+
Preliminary Heat 4 - Fifth, 7:37.31
C/D Semi-Final 2 - Third, 7:32.3
Novice 8+
Preliminary Heat 3 - First, 6:38.0
A/B Semi-Final 2 - Second, 6:34.9
Varsity 4+
Preliminary Heat 2 - Third, 7:14.63
A/B Semi-Final 1 - Fifth, 7:09.8
Second Varsity 8+
Preliminary Heat 3 - Fourth, 6:43.38
C/D Semi-Final 2 - First, 6:32.6
Varsity 8+
Preliminary Heat 3 - Third, 6:27.36
A/B Semi-Final 2 - Sixth, 6:21.9
-UCF-