June 29, 2010
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By Sarah Tarasewicz
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Junior Liz Robinson (Seattle, Wash.) of the UCF rowing team earned the opportunity to represent the United States at the 2010 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Brest, Belarus July 22-25 after taking home first place honors in the lightweight women's quadruple sculls final at the US Under 23 Rowing Trials Friday on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J.
"Liz has worked extremely hard towards her goals and it is exciting to see her hard work pay off," UCF head rowing coach Becky Cramer said. "She inspires her teammates and they are thrilled for her to race at Worlds. This is a great experience for her and I am excited to see the impact it will have on our team next year."
A member of the GMS Rowing Center team, Robinson, along with Kim Hopewell, Lauren Nelson and Devery Karz, defeated the field in a 6:47.382. USRowing Development Camp - University of Wisconsin crossed second in a 6:52.730, followed by Penn A.C. in a 7:00.724.
The World Rowing Under 23 Championships showcase up-and-coming athletes who are too old to compete at the junior level but are still in need of further development to rank among top senior elite rowers. Held for the first time in 1976 in Macon, France, under the title "Seniors Match," it eventually became the "Nations Cup" in 1992. FISA's 2005 Extraordinary Congress in Dubrovnik, Croatia, voted to upgrade the World Rowing Under 23 Regatta to world rowing championship status. The first official World Rowing Under 23 Championships were raced in 2004. Approximately 600 athletes from 40 countries compete annually.
During UCF's 2010 campaign, Robinson helped lead the varsity eight team to second-place honors at the inaugural Conference USA Rowing Championships. The varsity eight squad also claimed a fourth-place South Region finish at the South/Central Regional Championship held in conjunction with the C-USA event, and 11th place overall honors at the regatta.
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