George Washington University

March 27, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC - George Washington Women's rowing opened their spring season this past Saturday with a double dual against George Mason and the University of North Carolina on the Potomac River.

In the novice 8 race, GW finished first with a time of 7:02.3 followed by George Mason at 7:17.3. The novices hoped to build off the success from their first race when they faced UNC later in the day. UNC jumped ahead at the start and GW was not able to get back in the race. The Colonials finished 18 seconds behind the Tarheels with a time of 7:20.3.

"This was the first 2,000 meter sprint race for most of the novices. I think we learned a lot from a win and a loss and know how much we have to do for the rest of the season," said Novice Coach Sarah Dondero. "It was a fun day for the novices and they are excited to keep working hard and improving during the rest of the season."

The Varsity 4 participated in two of the most closely contested races of the day. During the first session, GW faced both George Mason and Georgetown. All three boats were side by side coming into the final 300 meters before George Mason and Georgetown began to pull ahead. GW was able to respond, and was able to edge out Georgetown by 1.5 seconds, for second place, with a time of 8:03.3. George Mason finished first in 7:57.5.

The second race of the day for the Varsity 4 featured another tight finish. GW pulled out to slight lead and held off George Mason for much of the race. With 500 meters to go, the Patriots started to sprint and pulled ahead. Despite charging back, GW was not able to catch George Mason, finishing a mere 0.5 seconds behind.

GW's Varsity 8 started its season with a victory against George Mason. GW was able to separate itself from the Patriots about 500 meters into the race and maintain their lead for the rest of the race. The Colonials finished first with a time of 6:28.6 while George Mason crossed the line at 6:32.2. In their second race, the GW Varsity 8 fell to UNC by 4 seconds to finish with a time of 6:34.1. The Tar Heels crept ahead during the early stages of the race and GW was not able to catch them despite a strong effort over the final 500 meters.

"I was pleased with how aggressive the varsity boats were at the start and how they handled their first race of the year," said Head Coach Rob McCracken. "We were able to identify a few things from the races that we need to work on over the coming weeks to gain speed."

The Colonials return to the water at 8:00 am on Saturday, March 31 when they face Boston University and Navy in Camden, NJ for the Playfair Cup. Later that day, the team heads to Philadelphia to race the University of Pennsylvania on the Schuylkill River.