George Washington University

SACRAMENTO, CA - The George Washington University Men's Rowing Team concluded the 107th IRA National Championships with a 15th place finish in the Varsity Eight and a corresponding 15th place in the team points standings - a ranking that earned the Colonials the number three spot on the most improved charts.

The Varsity Eight came into the regatta ranked 12th, and by fighting hard for third in the preliminary heats, set themselves up well for the afternoon repechage race against Dartmouth and Pennsylvania - a must-win in order to get into Friday's top two semi finals. Though GW came off the line hard and in the lead, Dartmouth stormed ahead (to an eventual fastest time of the afternoon) and GW could not muster a response. On Friday, GW took second to Princeton in the 4th semi final, which was enough to advance to Saturday's 3rd level final. In the 3rd level final, GW again came off the line very aggressively, essentially level with Princeton, but once again could not match the pace of the Tigers. The Colonials held onto 2nd until about 200m to go in the race when a surging Navy came through, leaving GW to take third (15th overall).

The 2nd Varsity Eight rowed a couple of excellent preliminary races to make it into the Petite Final on Saturday. While the Colonials were not far off the pace in the first 500m on Saturday, they were found themselves nevertheless in 6th place and remained there through the 1000m mark. Taking a big move as they crossed the 1000m, however, GW pushed ahead of Columbia in the 3rd 500m and then extended that lead into the finish line, taking 5th place (11th overall). This was the first ever top 12 finish for GW in the IRA 2nd Varsity competition.

The GW Freshman Eight was the last crew to receive an invitation into this event, and jumped at the chance to race in this elite competition. The jitters may have gotten the best of the Colonials frosh in the heat, and while they were in the hunt for the first 500m, they did not hit their stride and finished substantially back of the field. GW rebounded nicely, however, in their racing on Thursday and Friday, and found a gear or two that they had previously not been able to utilize. Though they ended up 6th in the 3rd final on Saturday (18th overall), the GW Frosh finished their season on an up note and gained valuable championship experience that should serve the team well in the years to come.

The IRA National Championships was the culmination of a highly successful year for GW - a year that saw the Colonials rising to new heights for the 53 year old program and one that has helped to establish the George Washington University as a contender on the national scene.

Varsity Eight - 3rd Level Final
Place Entry Lane Time
1 Princeton 1 06:07.347
2 Navy 2 06:11.122
3 G Washington 4 06:13.231
4 Oregon St 3 06:14.508
5 Gonzaga 5 06:15.725
6 San Diego 6 06:23.531

2nd Varsity Eight - Petite Final
Place Entry Lane Time
1 Syracuse 2 06:02.118
2 Stanford 3 06:02.122
3 Cornell 1 06:06.697
4 Pennsylvania 6 06:08.107
5 G Washington 4 06:13.975
6 Columbia 5 06:15.106

Freshman Eight - 3rd Level Final
Place Entry Lane Time
1 MIT 1 06:08.495
2 BU 3 06:10.624
3 Gonzaga 6 06:11.185
4 Oregon St 2 06:11.369
5 Cal San Diego 4 06:16.483
6 G Washington 5 06:26.349

Men's Open Four - Petite Final
Place Entry Lane Time
1 Cornell 1 06:54.315
2 Harvard 2 07:04.108
3 Oregon St 3 07:08.998
4 G Washington 4 07:10.559

Chapman Award, Team Point Trophy Improvement

1 Boston U. 80
2 Syracuse 58
3 George Washington 47
4 Dartmouth 42
5 Brown 38
6 Stanford 34
7 Harvard 30
8 Gonzaga 22
9 Pennsylvania 22
10 MIT 18
11 Cornell 8
12 Washington 8
13 UCSD 6
13 San Diego 5

Ten Eyck Award (Team Championship)

1 Washington 198
2 California 178
3 Brown 174
4 Harvard 163
5 Wisconsin 141
6 Stanford 140
7 Boston U. 125
8 Syracuse 124
9 Cornell 119
10 Northeastern 75
11 Dartmouth 74
12 Princeton 66
13 Columbia 61
14 Navy 49
15 George Washington 47
16 Gonzaga 43
17 Pennsylvania 27
18 Oregon State 24
19 MIT 18
20 UCSD 6
21 San Diego 5 22 Holy Cross 0

Full Results Available at: www.row2k.com/results/index.cfm