George Washington University

April 20, 2009

PENNSAUKEN, NJ - The George Washington women's rowing team accumulated 43 points to place seventh in the nine-team field at the 2009 Atlantic 10 Women's Rowing Championship Saturday on the Cooper River in New Jersey. GW senior Elizabeth Austin was named to the All-Conference first team in voting conducted among the Conference's head coaches.

The Colonials advanced three boats to the grand final at the Championship. The novice four entry of Ayla Richards, Rachel Roth, Lisa Van Arsdale, Julia Silva and Mackenzie Hovermale placed second in their event.

"I'm really proud of the novice four," said assistant coach Maria Bokulich. "Most of the rowers in the boat had already raced twice by the time they got to the novice four final so it was a really good effort on everyone's part."

GW's varsity four entry, comprised of four novice rowers, also posted a strong performance finishing in fourth place overall.

The novice eight had a strong race in their heat, leading off the start and advancing to the grand final. Unfortunately, the crew was unable to deal with the wind during the final and finished in sixth place well out of the medal hunt.

"I was excited to see what they were able to do during the heats and I was hoping that they would carry that momentum over to the final," said Bokulich. "The boat is determined to use the next few weeks learning to row well regardless of the conditions so that we're better prepared for future races."

In the varsity eight event, GW failed to advance to the grand final placing seventh overall.

"We certainly would have liked the varsity eight to have placed higher," said head coach Robert McCracken. "The boat is capable of rowing better, we just have to perform at a higher level on a consistent basis. The plus is that we still have four weeks left in the season to get things together and gain speed before Eastern Sprints. They're all willing to put in the work so I'm confident we can make the necessary changes."

The University of Massachusetts captured its league-record 13th Atlantic 10 Women's Rowing Championship on the Cooper River. The Minutewomen have now won 13 out of 14 A-10 Championships.

Saint Joseph's captured its first-ever gold medal in the Varsity 8 with a winning time of 6:42.0 to finish third overall for the second straight season. Saint Joseph's head coach Gerry Quinlan win his first-ever Coach of the Year honor in voting conducted among the Conference's head coaches.

The Colonials return to action on May 2 at the ECAC Metro Cup on the Cooper River. Races are scheduled to begin at 7:00 am.