Clemson Rowing Successful at Day One of Aramark South/Central Sprints

May 17, 2008

Oak Ridge, TN – The Clemson rowing team had a successful first day at the Aramark South/Central Sprints held on Melton Hill Lake. The Novice 8+, Varsity 4+ and Varsity 8+ crews will be competing in the grand finals tomorrow morning after strong performances today.

In the first race of the morning, the Tiger’s Second Varsity 4+ crew came in third place in their heat with a time of 7:56.28. They went on to race in the B semifinal, where they came in fifth place with a time of 7:59.2. They will be competing in the petite final, which begins at 10:38 tomorrow morning.

The Novice 8+ crew hit the water next, finishing behind Wisconsin and Virginia with a time of 7:05.60. By virtue of their third place finish in their heat, the Tigers went on to compete in repechage A on Saturday afternoon. They finished first with a time of 7:12.9, granting them a spot in the grand finals on Sunday morning at 10:17.

With a time of 7:44.23, the Varsity 4+ came in second place in their heat and advanced to the A semifinal. In the semifinal, they came in third place behind Michigan State and Ohio State with a time of 7:53.19. Clemson will be competing in the grand final on Sunday at 9:28 AM.

The Second Varsity 8+ came in third place in their heat behind Virginia and Louisville with a time of 6:48.45. In semifinal A, the Tigers finished with a time of 6:52.78 behind crews from Virginia, Tennessee, and Michigan State. They will compete in the petite finals on Sunday morning beginning at 9:21.

The 17th ranked Varsity 8+ had a very successful day, defeating #6 Tennessee, #11 Ohio State, and #16 Minnesota. They came in third place in their heat behind Virginia and Wisconsin with a time of 6:46.51. In the A semifinal, Clemson finished just 1.62 seconds behind ACC Champion and ninth ranked Virginia. The Varsity 8+ will compete in the grand final tomorrow morning at 9:00.

“We are so proud of our team,” said Head Coach Richard Ruggieri. “It has been an amazing year and we certainly want it to continue. We will come back and do our very best in the morning and that is all we can ask.”