Clemson Finishes Second in C Final at NCAA Rowing Championships

June 1, 2008

Gold River, CA – On the final day of the NCAA Rowing Championships, Clemson’s Varsity 8+ crew finished in second place in the “C” Final held on Lake Natoma in Gold River, California. In the team championship, Brown won their second consecutive national title and sixth overall. Yale brought home the Varisty 8+ crown for the second time in as many years by edging out at-large Stanford in the final foot of the 2000-meter race. The three-day regatta was hosted by the University of California in conjunction with the Sacramento State Aquatic Center.

After finishing fifth in the repechage on Friday, Clemson advanced to the “C” Final held this morning. The Tigers remained close throughout, however they finished second with a time of 6:43.33 behind Wisconsin. Clemson fought hard at the end, completing the last 500 meters almost three seconds faster than the Badgers. Unfortunately, Wisconsin’s lead to was too great to overcome and the Tigers finished the race just 1.35 seconds behind them. Ohio State and Tennessee finished third and fourth, respectively. Clemson’s Varsity 8+ is comprised of Elyse Roenick (coxswain), Suzanne Van Fleet, Brittany Cummings, Megan Bendik, Liz Robb, Hilary Cumbest, Ford Heiner, and Michelle Nance

The NCAA Championships marked the final race as a Tiger for seniors Elyse Roenick, and Suzanne Van Fleet.