Tiger Rowing Sweeps Boston College on Saturday

March 11, 2006

The Clemson rowing team fought overcast conditions and claimed a sweep over newest ACC foe, Boston College, on Saturday at Lake Hartwell. The Tigers have now raced two regattas this spring and have won all of their races to this point. Leading the way on Saturday was the varsity 8+, who won in close fashion over the Eagles.

“The Varsity 8+ maintained composure against a persistent BC crew,” said Clemson head coach Susie Lueck. “By maintaining focus inside the boat they were able to row their race. That is something we have been working on at practice and it paid off today.”

In the varsity 8+, Clemson’s time was 6:56.5, while Boston College came in close behind at 7:03.4. In the second varsity 8+, the Tigers steadily moved away from the Eagles over the duration of the course. Clemson finished with a time of 7:12.6, which was 11.6 seconds better than Boston College.

“The second varsity 8+ made some solid improvements this week at practice which translated to a much more consistent race today,” Lueck noted.

The novice 8+ crew also won on Saturday, finishing in a time of 7:19.4. Boston College actually was close in second place at 7:23.9. In the final sprint of the 2,000 meter race, the Tiger crew was able to pull away for the victory.

“It was a great chance for the novice to get comfortable being seat for seat and in contact with another crew for the entire race,” Lueck said. They were able to work on composure and staying focused inside their boat.”

The two teams also competed in an open 4+ race to begin the event. Leading that race was Clemson’s novice 4+ crew with a time of 8:06.4. In second place was the Tigers’ open 4+ boat with a time of 8:31.4. Finishing in the final three spots were the varsity 4+, second varsity 4+, and novice 4+ from Boston College.

In the varsity 4+ race, Clemson’s A boat won the event in a time of 7:43.1, edging the Tigers’ B boat that finished in 7:46.0. Boston College’s A boat was third, followed by the Eagles’ B boat. In the second varsity 4+ race, Clemson’s A boat finished in 8:05.2, while their B boat was second in 8:17.3. The Eagles’ A boat finished third.

“We appreciate all of the loyal Tiger fans that came out in less than ideal conditions to cheer the Tigers on to victory,” Lueck said. “Thanks for the support.”

Clemson will return to the water next weekend to play host to four schools in the Clemson Challenge regatta on Lake Hartwell. Scheduled to compete in the event at 9:00 AM are Indiana, Marist, Penn, and Purdue.