Mustangs Set For American Athletic Conference Championship
May 13 | Rowing
| SMU at American Athletic Conference Championship | |
| Date & Start Time | Sunday at 8 a.m. ET/7 a.m. CT |
| Location | Mercer Lake - West Windsor, N.J. |
| Championship Central | Click Here |
| Live Video | The American Digital Network |
| Notes | Championship Notes (.pdf) |
| /SMUMustangs | /SMURowing | |
| @SMUMustangs | @SMURowing | |
The Week Ahead...
The Mustangs head to West Windsor, New Jersey, for the American Athletic Conference Championship on Mercer Lake this Sunday. Events are slated to begin at 7 a.m. CT, with the Mustangs competing in Varsity and 2nd Varsity 8+ events, as well as Varsity and 2nd Varsity 4+. Each event will have a morning time trial, followed by afternoon Grand (top 6) and Petite (remaining 2) Finals. Both the 3rd Varsity 8+ and Varsity 4+ races will only have one final. In-event updates can be found on Twitter on @SMURowing and @American_Rowing.
Championship Coverage...
The 2015 American Athletic Conference rowing championship will be broadcast live on The American Digital Network and available on all desktop, mobile and tablet devices, as well as on Roku. Find all your championship information at TheAmerican.com/Rowing and follow on social media as well.
Twitter -- @SMURowing, @American_Rowing
Instagram -- /SMURowing, /American_Conf
Facebook -- /SMURowing, /AmericanConf
YouTube -- /AmericanAthleticConf
Last Time Versus...
American Athletic Conference Championship - The SMU rowing team competed in the inaugural American Athletic Conference Championship on May 18, 2014.
The Mustangs' 2nd Varsity 8+ crew of coxswain Stephanie Gentile, Brittany Courteau, Meghan Klein, Katrina Kerrigan, Mackenzie Daly, Dominique Earland, Julia Neppl, Jonnie Parmer and Dominique Conley outpaced crews from Rutgers and Villanova to finish fifth in the second to last race of the day in a time of 7:06.777.
In the final race of the championship, the Varsity 8+ crew of coxswain Maggie Jones, Sydney Severson, Chantelle Conley, Loni Albrecht, Miranda Zsigmond, Allison Buchanan, Amanda Esposito, Hanna Axene, and Lauren Moore clocked in at 7:03.321 for seventh.
Following the presentation of team awards, the conference's first and second team selections were announced. Sophomore Miranda Zsigmond, a native of Los Alamitos, Calif., represented SMU on the American Athletic Conference First-Team.
Last Time Out...
SMU vs. Alabama/UCO - The SMU Varsity 8+ crew clocked a 7:01.01 to defeat crews from Central Oklahoma and Alabama in its final race on White Rock Lake for the 2015 season. UCO followed in a close second at 7:03.01, while Alabama finished in 7:05.8 on April 25.
This is the third win for the Varsity 8 squad in four races at home this spring.
In the 2nd Varsity 8+ race, Alabama outpaced all other crews crossing the finish line in 7:06.4. SMU trailed in second posting a time of 7:14.52, and UCO was third at 7:24.0. The 3V8+ race kicked off the event with Texas as the first finisher, followed by Alabama in second and SMU in third.
The Crimson Tide were the victors in both 4s events with its 1v finishing in 7:53.4 and its 2v at 8:04.2. Alabama's second crew in the 2v4+/3v4+ race finished second at 8:14.5.
UCO occupied the second position in the v4+ race, while SMU placed third in both events.
White Rock Winners...
The Mustangs have wins over Creighton, Central Oklahoma, Kansas and Alabama in Varsity 8+ action this season at home. In the first event of the season against CU and UCO, SMU won three of five events to take the day. In total, the Mustangs have won five individual races at home this season after winning nine in a pair of events on White Rock in 2014. The four events at home this spring were the most the Mustangs have hosted in a single-season since the program's inception in 1999.
Conference Favorites...
SMU's Varsity 8+ crew earned the American Athletic Conference Boat of the Week honor following a standout performance against Kansas on April 4. The Mustangs bounced back from their performance at the San Diego Crew Classic by outpacing KU's Varsity 8+ by nearly seven seconds in windy conditions. This is the second win for SMU in the event this season, as the group defeated Creighton and Central Oklahoma at home on March 14. SMU's 1v8 crew consists of a pair of seniors, one junior and three from both the sophomore and freshman classes.
Varsity 8 Dedication...
Following the Mustangs' Varsity 8+ win over Alabama and Central Oklahoma on April 25, the team held a boat dedication ceremony celebrating the support of the program by former rower Lauren Soulis.
"One of our goals, in addition to making boats go fast and community service, is celebrating our people and that's what today is about," head coach Doug Wright said. "Lauren Soulis is one of our people. She's been so gracious over the years and we wanted to recognize her for her support of the program by giving her naming rights to that boat. We're excited about her support and commitment to us as a program."
Mustang Moody...
Sophomore Savannah Moody was invited to the US National Team ID Camp in Chula Vista, California, where the national body identifies possible rowers to compete on the U-23 National Team.
Moody competes in the stroke seat on the Mustangs' 1st Varsity 8+ crew. Following the 2013-14 season, she was named Second-Team All-Region by the College Rowing Coaches Association. During the fall portion of the 2014-15 schedule, Moody helped her crew to a fifth place finish at the Head of the Colorado, and a ninth place finish at the Head of the Oklahoma.
Last season, as a member of the same crew, she was part of four first-place finishes as well as three runner-up finishes. The crew posted its fastest time of the season with a 6:42.5 finish on April 26 against Central Oklahoma.
American Standout...
Junior Miranda Zsigmond, a native of Los Alamitos, California, represented SMU on the inaugural American Athletic Conference First Team last season. Zsigmond spent the spring season as part of the Mustangs' Varsity 8+ crew, while also racing in Varsity 4+ races during the fall.
