April 15, 2007

CAMDEN, N.J. (SMU) - The SMU rowing team competed at the Knecht Cup in Camden, N.J. yesterday placing both boats in the finals and winning the third final of the varsity eight. The event was hosted by the Villanova women's rowing on the Cooper River and the Mustang crew competed in the varsity eight and varsity four events.

The regatta was scheduled to last for two day, but the prediction of bad weather on Sun., forced the rescheduling of all events on Sat. The weather on Sat., seemed to get better through out the day with perfect water for the evening finals.

In the varsity four, the Mustangs raced to second place in their heat against West Virginia, Loyola, Delaware and Duquesne. SMU posted a time of 8:27.4. With this place, the Mustangs advanced to the Petite Final later that day where they competed against Colgate, URI, Duquesne, BC and Kansas. The Mustangs placed fourth in the finals with a time of 8:42.4.

The varsity eight boat held a steady pace for second in their heat with a time of 6:54.6. The Mustangs raced against URI, Dayton, Villanova, West Virginia and Sacred Heart. SMU's time earned a spot in the semis where they faced UC Davis, Tulsa, Colgate, UNC and Holy Cross. The Mustangs posted a fifth-place finish with time of 7:06.5 in the semis to advance to the third final of the varsity eight. The Mustangs won the third final with a time of 7:09.9, crossing the finish three seconds before the next boat. In the final, the Mustangs raced against Villanova, Drexel, Holy Cross and West Virginia.

The SIRA is up next for the Mustang crew with competition scheduled for April 21 at Oak Ridge, Tenn. The Mustangs will then compete in the Midwest Rowing Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla., on April 28 before competing in May at the South Central Regional Championships and NCAA Championships.