No. 2 Rowing Seeks National Championship in Indianapolis

No. 2 Nova Southeastern University rowing team

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 2 Nova Southeastern University rowing team is set to compete in the 2013 NCAA Division II Rowing National Championship at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis, Ind. from Friday, May 31 to Sunday, June 2.

The competition begins on Friday, with the varsity-8 heats beginning at 11:10 a.m. and the varsity-4 races beginning at 11:30 a.m. On Saturday, repechage races for both events will begin at 10:30 a.m. On Sunday, the grand final for the varsity-4 is scheduled for 9:30 a.m., while the grand final for the varisty-8 is set for 9:40 a.m.

The Sharks will be competing for the title against No. 1 Barry, No. 3 Western Washington and No. 7 Mercyhurst. In addition to the four teams competing for the team title, No. 4 Central Oklahoma and No. 6 California San Diego will both send eight-boats to Indianapolis.

The Sharks received a bid as the at-large team behind the region’s top team, Barry. Although NSU finished behind Barry this season, their strong year built the case for them to become the South Region’s first at-large selection since 2006. The Sharks were nipping at Barry’s heals all season long, with varsity-8 splits of 1.4 seconds at the Sunshine State Conference Championship and three seconds at the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta.

The Sharks arguably sealed their fate at Dad Vails, by defeating California-San Diego in the varsity-8. The Tritons made their case for an at-large bid earlier in the season by defeating defending NCAA National Champions No. 5 Humboldt State. However, the Sharks proved their talent by defeating the Tritons by nearly six seconds on the opening day of Dad Vails.

The Sharks also earned several other key wins on the year. The varsity-8 boat was able to defeat Central Oklahoma on two occasions, including an early-season duals race. The Sharks also earned victories over previously ranked Florida Tech on multiple occasions.

Last season, NSU finished third among the six teams in the field behind champions Humboldt State and Western Washington. Three seconds separated the Sharks’ from the championship eight boat, while NSU fell in the varsity-4 event by just over eight seconds. However, the Sharks will look to replicate last year’s start, when the Sharks won its varsity-8 heat to start the weekend.

For the latest NSU news and results, be sure to visit www.NSUSharks.com. To have results sent directly to your cell phone via text message, sign up for SMS text message delivery by clicking here. For the latest news, be sure to sign up for the Shark Alert E-newsletter by clicking here

About Nova Southeastern University: Situated on 300 beautiful acres in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic fully accredited research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at all levels.  NSU is a not-for-profit independent institution with more than 28,000 students. NSU awards associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, doctoral and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields. NSU is classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and it’s one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification.  www.nova.edu

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Contact:
Eugene Canal
Manager of Athletic Communications
Phone: (954) 262-8275