Varsity 4+ Claims Victory in Grand Final At Lexus Central

May 14, 2000

OAK RIDGE, TN – The Clemson varsity 4+ claimed the victory in the grand final to help lead the Tigers to a fourth-place team finish at the Lexus Central Sprints Sunday on Melton Hill Lake.

The varsity 4+, which entered the event as the fourth seed, claimed victory in front of Kansas by just 0.3 seconds. Clemson finished in a time of 7:33.4 while the Jayhawks were second in a time of 7:33.7. Michigan (7:38.1), Michigan State (7:40.2), Indiana (7:40.6) and Ohio State (7:45.6) fell victim to the Tigers. Clemson had qualified for the grand final with Saturday’s best time, going 7:20.7.

Michigan claimed the team title with 79 points, outdistancing second-place Michigan State (54 points) and third-place Ohio State (51 points). Clemson was fourth with 34 points, six points in front of fifth-place Duke. The top two teams advance to the NCAA Championships May 26-28 in Camden, NJ. Nationally, two at-large teams will be invited to the national championships, so the Tigers will have to wait until Tuesday to see if they will advance.

In other grand final action, the Clemson’s second varsity 4+, which went into the meet as the third seed behind Michigan State and Michigan, finished third, but got by both Michigan State and Michigan, but lost to Ohio State and Iowa. The Buckeyes claimed the win in 7:44.7. Iowa was second with 7:45.8 while Clemson was third in a time of 7:50.9. Clemson finished fourth in the other grand final featuring the novice 8+. Duke claimed the event in a time of 6:50.4. Louisville (6:51.7) and Iowa (7:01.8) also finished ahead of the Tigers. Clemson was clocked at 7:02.2.

The varsity 8+ was second in Sunday’s petite final, or the consolation final. The Tigers were edged by Kansas again. The Jayhawks finished in a time of 6:43.1, while Clemson was second in a time of 6:50.4. Michigan won the grand final.