NSU Finishes Third at DII Women's Rowing Championship
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Nova Southeastern took home third place at the NCAA DII Rowing Championship, which concluded Sunday in West Windsor, N.J. The Barry Eight finished sixth.
The final day of the regatta kicked off with the Varsity 4 Grand Final. Humboldt State, which won the first NCAA title in program history, finished first in 7:42.96. The Shark Four was second with a mark of 7:51.37, and Western Washington was third at 7:53.93.
Barry and Central Oklahoma then faced off in the Varsity 8 Petite Final for fifth place. Central Oklahoma took the win with a time of 7:03.77. The Bucs finished the course in 7:06.90.
In the Varsity 8 Grand Final, Humboldt sealed its championship with a winning time of 6:48.84. Western Washington placed second with a mark of 6:50.45, just edging out NSU's time of 6:51.89. Mercyhurst finished fourth (6:57.29).
Humboldt State completed the three-day event with 20 points. Western Washington's 13 points were just enough to beat out NSU's 12. Mercyhurst tallied five points.
Humboldt State's win snapped a streak of seven straight NCAA DII Rowing Championships for Western Washington.
MAY 26 RECAP
Barry finished fourth in Saturday's Eight Repechage at the NCAA Division II Rowing Championship in West Windsor, N.J. The Buccaneers will compete in the Petite Final on Sunday, while Nova Southeastern will appear in the Grand Final of both the Eight and Four races.
In Saturday's Varsity 8 race, Mercyhurst placed first in the four-boat field with a time of 6:49.38, which just edged out Western Washington's mark of 6:49.63. Those two squads earned the right to join NSU and Humboldt State in Sunday's Eight Grand Final at 9:35 a.m.
Central Oklahoma finished third in the event with a time of 6:50.94. Barry was fourth with a mark of 7:07.60. The Buccaneers and Central Oklahoma will meet in the Eight Petite final at 9:15 a.m. Sunday.
NSU's Four crew will kick things off in the Division II races in the Grand Final at 9 a.m. All action in the final day of the Rowing Championship can be watched live at ncaa.com.
MAY 25 RECAP
Nova Southeastern won both its Eight and Four heats on Friday to advance to Sunday's Grand Finals at the NCAA DII Women's Rowing Championship in West Windsor, N.J. Barry will compete in Saturday's Eight Repecharge in the hopes of joining the Sharks in Sunday's final race.
NSU won Varsity 8 heat #1 on Friday with a time 6:53.89. The Sharks downed Western Washington (6:56.41) and Central Oklahoma (7:19.27) to win the race. In heat #2, Humboldt State won in a time of 6:53.55. Mercyhurst (6:56.65) was second, and Barry (7:24.43) was third.
Nova Southeastern and Humboldt automatically advance to Sunday's Grand Final as a result of their heat victories. Barry, Western Washington, Central Oklahoma, and Mercyhurst will face off in a Repechage on Saturday, with the top two finishers joining the Grand Final field. Saturdays' Repechage will take the waters at 10:30 a.m.
In the Varsity 4 events, Nova Southeastern won heat #1 with a time of 8:06.21. Mercyhurst (8:16.73) placed second. In heat #2, Humboldt posted a mark of 7:47.50 to defeat Western Washington (8:04.79).
With their victories, NSU and Humboldt also automatically advance to Sunday's Four Grand Final. Mercyhurst and Western Washington will square off for the final spot in that field in a Repechage on Saturday.
Sunday's Four Grand Final will take place at 9 a.m., followed by the Eight Grand Final at 9:35 a.m.
PREVIEW
Nova Southeastern and Barry have received bids to compete in the 2012 NCAA Division II Women’s Rowing Championships May 25-27 in West Windsor, N.J.
The team championship is composed of four teams, and each team is required to field one boat of eight rowers and one boat of four rowers. The teams selected were: Humboldt State, Mercyhurst, Nova Southeastern and Western Washington.
In addition to the four teams that qualify, two at-large Eights from institutions not represented in the team competition were selected. The Buccaneers were selected in addition to the crew from Central Oklahoma.
This is Barry’s seventh appearance in the NCAA National Regatta. The Bucs qualified as a team in 2002, 2004, and 2006, while the varsity 8+ team earned individual bids in 2005, 2010 and 2011. The Bucs’ best finish in the championship came in 2006 when they finished as the runner-up to seven-time champs Western Washington.
NSU’s varsity four won the program’s only national title May 31, 2009, topping Western Washington and Mercyhurst with a time of 7:53.64.
Western Washington has won the last seven national titles, dating back to 2005. Mercyhurst was the National Champion in 2004, while UC Davis won the two Championships prior to that.
The championships will be held May 25-27 at Lake Mercer, located in West Windsor, New Jersey. Rider University and the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference will serve as hosts. For championship information and results, including live streaming of championship racing, go to NCAA.com.
