Clemson Runner-Up at Eighth Annual ACC Rowing Championship

2007 ACC Rowing ResultsDownload Free Acrobat Reader

April 21, 2007

GALLERY (courtesy of Pat Wright and Mark Crammer)

Clemson, SC – Clemson finished runner-up in the team race at the eighth annual ACC Championship on Saturday at Lake Hartwell. The Cavaliers of Virginia swept all four races on a beautiful, sunny morning in Clemson, SC. Virginia has won the ACC Championship all eight years it has been held. Clemson rebounded from a fourth-place overall finish in 2006 to place second at this year’s regatta.

The Cavaliers won the team title with 60 points, followed by Clemson in second with 46 points. The third place team on Saturday was Duke with 43 points, followed by Miami with 25. In fifth, Boston College again took that position with 23 points. North Carolina was sixth with 13.

The Tigers took home runner-up spots in the varsity 4+, novice 8+, and second varsity 8+. Clemson’s first varsity 8+ was just edged at the finish line, placing the Tigers’ top boat in third place behind Duke.

Suzanne Van Fleet, who earned her first all-conference honor as a Tiger.

The first race of the morning was the varsity 4+. Virginia placed first in a time of 7:31.6, with Clemson second at 7:48.4. Duke came in third place with a time of 7:58.6, while Miami was fourth in 8:00.9. Boston College (8:10.3) and North Carolina (8:10.9) were fifth and sixth, respectively, in a tight finish. The Cavaliers had a boat length of opener water by 1000m. Clemson pulled away to open water over Duke in the final 500+ meters.

The novice 8+ was also claimed by the Cavaliers, with a time of 6:47.4. Clemson crossed the line in second place after a time of 7:06.3. The Tar Heels of North Carolina came through with their best finish of the day, posting a time of 7:10.6 in their third-place effort. Duke was fourth at 7:22.5, while Boston College (7:25.6) and Miami (8:06.8) rounded out the field. The Cavaliers claimed open water by the 750m mark. Clemson used a strong sprint in the final 500 meters to pull away from a pesky Tar Heel crew.

In the second varsity 8+, Virginia won with a time of 6:36.7. Clemson earned its third runner-up finish of the day with a time of 6:48.9. Duke placed third overall at 6:51.2, while Boston College finished fourth at 6:55.5. The Hurricanes were fifth (6:55.6), with North Carolina coming in sixth (7:14.7). Virginia held a ½ boat length lead over Clemson at the 1000m mark, while Clemson enjoyed a lead over Duke. After seeing the margin over the Blue Devils shrink, the Tigers had an impressive sprint in the final 250 meters to claim the runner-up position.

The final race of the morning was the varsity 8+. The Cavaliers took the lead for good by the 500m mark and never looked back, winning with a time of 6:28.1. Duke outlasted Clemson in an incredible sprint finish between the two schools. The Blue Devils clocked in at 6:33.5, while the Tigers had a time of 6:33.8. Miami placed fourth (6:40.2), while Boston College took home fifth (6:41.7). North Carolina was sixth (6:55.4) in the varsity 8+ race.

The Tigers’ next racing action will be May 12-13 at the Central/South Sprints in Oak Ridge, TN.