Clemson Rowing Dominates Tail of the Tiger

Sept. 25, 2004

The Clemson rowing team kicked off its non-traditional fall season Saturday on Lake Hartwell as host of the Tail of the Tiger regatta. The Clemson University Rowing Association, Georgia, and South Carolina competed in the event.

“Today was a perfect season opener,” said Susie Lueck, head coach at Clemson. “The weather was spectacular and the team was fired up to race. Many loyal fans showed up to cheer the Tigers on.”

The Tigers won all women’s events, and only one boat (Georgia A in the varsity 4+) defeated Clemson all morning. Clemson’s two boats finished 1-2 in the varsity 8+, varsity 4+, and novice 8+. In the varsity 4+, Clemson’s “A” boat won the event, with three additional boats finishing third through fifth.

In the varsity 8+ race, Clemson’s “A” boat won easily with a time of 18:00.3, while the “B” boat claimed second place in 18:23.7. Georgia and the University Rowing Association rounded out the rest of the race.

In the novice 4+ race, Clemson’s two boats coasted to an easy victory over South Carolina. The “A” boat finished in a time of 20:13.2, while the “B” boat came in at 21:10.7. In the novice 8+ event, Clemson’s two boats were separated at the finish line by just .2 seconds. The “A” boat had a time of 20:13.2, while “B” was at 20:13.4.

In the varsity 4+, Clemson’s boats took three of the first four finishing spots. Only Georgia’s “A” boat finished in the top five. Clemson “A” won in a time of 20:11.4, while the other boats put in solid performances for Clemson (Boat B had a time of 20:32.3; Boat C was 21:03.2; Boat D came in fifth at 21:12.2).

All in all, it was a great day on the lake for the Tigers.

“The varsity women showed impressive speed in both boats by taking first and second in the event,” Lueck said. “It’s exciting for the team to show such great speed this early in the season. It was also neat to have the club team from the university race at the same time with us. It was a great example of the One Clemson…Solid Orange theme we have going on.”

The Tiger rowers return to Lake Hartwell on October 17 for the Clemson Class Day event. Each of the classes will be competing against each other.