Third-Ranked Bronchos Head to Tennessee

4/19/2013 9:43:00 AM

The No. 3-ranked Central Oklahoma women's rowing team heads to Oak Ridge, Tenn., this weekend for a large regional race that features some of the fastest crews in the south.

The Bronchos will field crews in four events, including the two premier events -- the Varsity Eight and the Varsity Four.

UCO is seeded fifth in the 24-team Varsity Eight, one spot behind Kansas State, who the Bronchos will face off against in Saturday morning's heat. Fourth-ranked nationally, but third-seeded rival Nova Southeastern will also be in attendance, gaining a Varsity Eight seeding by virtue of defeating the Bronchos head–to–head back in March in the event.

Earlier in the spring season the Bronchos split races with the Sharks, dropping the eight but winning the four. The national rankings take into account both the Varsity Eight and Four, the two events raced at the NCAA Championships, so only rankings of the team are published, not of individual boats.

“Coach Frazier-Wong has done an extremely impressive job of getting Nova moving even faster than last year," UCO head coach Andrew Derrick said. "Having split races in March and this being our last time facing off against each other in the regular season, a lot is riding on this weekend's racing in terms of a team bid to NCAAs."

Also in the eight's heat are club teams from Virginia Tech, Louisiana State, Georgia Tech and Georgia. The top three finishers from the early-session heat will advance to the semifinals set to take place on Saturday afternoon. The heat is set to take place at 12:30 p.m.

The Varsity Eight lineup includes Amy VanBuskirk (cox), Michaela Stam, Jenni Hagen, Karen Hoke, Jenna Goodner, Madison Martens, Tracey Lisowe, Rachel Kliewer, and Kelsey Philhower.

“We're very excited to be racing great competition over the course of the weekend, especially on one of the best race courses in the country,” Derrick said. “We've been working hard to get ready for SIRAs, and we're looking forward to seeing our progress on a larger stage.”

The Varsity Four of Jenna Laine Meraz (cox), Hannah Anderson, Brittany Rawlins, Sam Elliott, and Chelsea Robinette will face club teams from Liberty University, Samford, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Division I foe Jacksonville in their early-session heat. As with the Eight, the top three finishers will advance to the semifinals later in the day. The heat will take place at 11:13 a.m.

“This is a great regatta for us at this point in the season," said assistant coach Amy Jantzen. "With heats, semifinals and finals the girls will get multiple trips down the course against some great competition. The four has had some tough races this season and is looking for a top finish as we get towards the end of the season and the hope for an NCAA Championship bid.”

The Second Varsity Eight of Rachael Baalman (cox), Kalli Schwartz, Marlie Ball, Sam Godfrey, Ariel Good, Michaela Rabenhorst, Morgan Henry, Kirsten Clark, and Molly McSweeny will face a small but very challenging field of six opponents including Division I opponents from Kansas state, George Washington and Jacksonville during the weekend.

“The second eight has had a great couple weeks of practice in preparation for SIRAs and I feel as though they have gained a good amount of speed,” said graduate assistant coach Travis Hall. “With great opponents in our event, we're expecting fast racing over the weekend.”

The Broncho Novice Four will also participate in a large event, with a total of 22 programs fielding a crew. Central's lineup of Tia Reed (cox), Aleks Stogsdill, Chelsey McArthur, Amy Le, and Autumn Gordon will race in their heat at 8:14a.m. against Georgia Tech, Tennessee, James Madison, Murray State, and Liberty University. The top three finishers will advance to the semifinals.

“I'm looking forward to seeing how our crew does in a large field,” said graduate assistant coach Kristin Philhower. “This will be the first time that anyone in this crew will participate in this large of a regatta and I'm excited to see how they respond.”

Saturday's semifinals begin around 3:00 p.m. and will determine which crews advance to the petite and grand finals on Sunday morning. During last spring's SIRA championships the Bronchos won the petite final of both the Varsity Eight and the Varsity Four and look to improve upon those finishes during this year's regatta.

This weekend's regatta will be the largest for the Bronchos, with the SIRA championships including 57 programs and a total of 270 entries. For the first time in the history of the regatta, live streaming coverage will provided here by USRowing.

Updated schedule and results for the regatta can be found here.

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