Women's Crew Invited to NCAAs
May 22, 1999 | Women's Rowing
BOSTON -- The Terrier women's crew, including the varsity heavyweight, second varsity, novice, and fours, have joined nine other Division 1 teams in being invited to the NCAA Women's Crew Championships which will be held May 28-30 in Sacramento, California. The three-day event will be hosted by California State University and raced at the University's Aquatic Center on Lake Natoma in Rancho Cordova, CA.
This is the third year the NCAA is sponsoring the championship, but the first year the Terriers have been invited as a team. Last year, just the varsity heavyweight received a bid, but this year all four Terrier boats will be entered.
The B.U. women's heavyweight eights won the 1990 and 1991 national championships in Cincinnati when it was the rowing community that conducted the event. Since the advent of the NCAA national championship, the Cincinnati Regatta no longer holds collegiate events.
Now in her third year as the Terrier women's heavyweight varsity coach, Holly Hatton was rightfully proud of her crews' success.
"I am very excited about our receiving one of just 10 invitations," said Hatton, whose team was ranked 11th in the most recent USRowing national collegiate coaches' poll.
The Terriers jumped up two spots in the poll, based on their outstanding performance at the Eastern Sprints. It was their tremendous effort in the Sprints that earned them the team bid for the NCAAs.
"The Sprints made it for us," confirmed Hatton of her team's sixth-place finish.
In addition to B.U., the other teams who received bids to the NCAAs were Brown, California, Harvard, Michigan, Michigan State, Princeton, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Dartmouth, Marietta, UMass/Amherst, Northeastern, Oregon State, University of California at Davis, USC, Williams, and William Smith all received at-large bids and will have just one crew entered in the varsity eights.
"My goal is to finish in the top 12," said Hatton. "I think there are five crews that will challenge for the championship. They are Washington, California, Brown, Virginia, and Princeton."
Washington was a unanimous number-one in this week's poll and winners of the Pac-10 Championship. California was ranked number two in the nation as they finished second at the Pac-10s, just one second behind Washington. Brown was third in the polls after winning the Sprints. Princeton, which lost to Brown at the Sprints by just 2.1 seconds, was fourth in the national ranking.
Finally, there is Virginia, which is a newcomer among the elite women's crews, was fifth in the polls. A power in the Central Region, Virginia came to the Sprints and finished third, just one second behind Princeton.
"After this group, there is a pack that includes Wisconsin, Radcliffe, Michigan, Michigan State, and Southern Cal," said Hatton. "I consider the first group of five schools the A group. The next is the B group. That's the group I would like to be in at the Nationals.
"In the Second Varsity race, there are just 10 crews entered, and I would like to make the Grand Finals," said Hatton. Six of the 10 will advance to the Finals.
"In order to do that, we will have to row a strong race technically," predicted the coach. "All season, this boat has rowed with tremendous heart. There is a strong chemistry among the women in this boat. They are incredibly committed to each other, and you can see that in how they row. But, they will need more than that if they are to reach the Grand Finals at the NCAAs."
"As far as the novice boat is concerned, I am not sure what to expect," continued Hatton. "They were disappointing at the Sprints, but this will be a great experience for them. It will get them ready for next year."
The racing schedule at the Nationals will have the heats for the varsity eights, second varsity, and Fours on Friday morning, May 28th. The afternoon is set aside for the Repechage for the varsity eights.
On Saturday morning, there will be the Repechages for the Fours and the second varsity, while places 13-19 will be determined for the varsity heavyweights. There will also be the two semifinals for the varsity crews.
Then, on Sunday morning, the Petite Finals and Grand Finals in the Fours, the second varsity, and first varsity will be held. The Award Ceremony is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. on Sunday.
