No. 2 Rowing Sweeps Day One of NCAA National Championship

No. 2 Nova Southeastern University rowing team

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The No. 2 Nova Southeastern rowing team had a flawless outing Friday on day one of the 2013 NCAA Division II Rowing National Championship at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis, Ind., winning both of their heats in the varsity-8 and varsity-4 events.

The Sharks had the most impressive showing of any team in the DII field and are the only school to advance both of their boats directly to Sunday’s grand final races. The rest of the field will have to race at least one boat in the repechage races on Saturday. 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. Continue to check back with NSUSharks.com for time changes in the threat of inclement weather.

The most dominant win of the day came from the varsity-8 boat, which established open water between them and the field within 40 seconds of racing. The Sharks clocked in at a time of 7:27.77, beating out No. 3 Western Washington by nearly 10 seconds and No. 7 Mercyhurst by 32 seconds. The fast start was an answer to No. 1 Barry’s similarly dominant win in the first heat of the day. The two top teams in the nation are set to tangle, along with the repechage winners, in the grand final on Sunday.

The eight boat was comprised of: coxswain Amanda Hudon (Fr., Sebastian, Fla.), Lauren Boudreau (Sr., Waterford, N.Y.), Tori Torrisi (Fr., Saratoga, N.Y.), Stephanie Hauck (Jr., Somers Point, N.J.), Amanda Craig (So., Berlin, N.J.), Taylor Van Horn (Cape Coral, Fla.), Kelly Scott (So., Hobe Sound, Fla.),  Sarah Patterson (Sr., Winter Park, Fla.) and Camille Evans (So., Orlando, Fla.).

The varsity-4 race had much more drama, as the Sharks squared off in a dual against Barry. Over the first half of the race, the two teams traded the lead multiple times. Just past the halfway point, Barry’s boat seemed to have the edge, before the Sharks came storming back and eventually won by over eight seconds. The Sharks’ final time was 8:22.39. NSU will meet Western Washington in the final, alongside either Barry or Mercyhurst on Sunday.

The four boat was made up of: coxswain Courtney Berger (Jr., Sarasota, Fla.),Megan O’Donnell (So., Lake Worth, Fla.), Caitlin Mooney (Jr., Centerville, Mass.), Emily Harrington (Jr., Virginia Beach, Fla.) and Amber Morrell (Sr., Brigantine, N.J.).

Looking ahead to Sunday’s finals, the Sharks will be looking to win its first team NCAA National Championship. They would be the first team from the South Region to win the DII title. They will also be looking to win the varsity-4 title for the second time, after taking the crown in 2009.

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