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Date: May 13, 2003
Contact: Bill Sodoma
Crew teams selected for NCAA Championships
WATERVILLE, Maine --
While the Colby College women's crew is returning to the NCAA Division III Rowing Championships, the defending champs are staying home this year.
Colby earned an automatic qualifier after being the top finisher among all New England Small College Athletic Conference schools at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC)/National Invitational Rowing Championships this past weekend.
So the Mules knew they would be one of six teams invited to the NCAA Championships when pairings were announced Tuesday afternoon. The surprise of the day, though, was finding out that defending national champion Williams College did not make the field this year.
Colby, which finished second in the country last year at the NCAA meet, will be part of a wide-open field in 2003. Trinity College, Wellesley College, Ithaca College, Coast Guard Academy and University of Pugent Sound are the other five crews to make the competition set for May 30-June 1 in Indianapolis at Eagle Creek Reservoir.
The varsity eight and the junior varsity eight (B team) from each school are invited to race in the 12-boat competition. The winners of the first two six-boat heats at the NCAA meet will automatically qualify for the Grand Final (championship race). The second pair of heats will be five-boat races made up of the 10 remaining teams and the top two from each race will go on to the Grand Final. Places three to five in the second heats will make up the Petite Final (consolation race).
Colby's varsity eight placed fourth in the Grand Final last year and the Mule 'B' team was first in the Petite Final. The Mules were right behind Williams (nine points) for the second lowest point total at 11 to take second place. Ithaca and William Smith were tied for third with 12 points.
Colby and Ithaca are the only two teams returning to the NCAA meet. William Smith College, Williams, Smith College and Pacific Lutheran University were in last year's field.
For ticket information, call 866-487-7678 or go online at http://www.iuhoosiers.com/ncaa/rowing/.
