April 10, 2005

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. - The Villanova women's rowing team competed in the George Washington University Invitational Crew Classic on Saturday afternoon, where two Wildcat boats checked in with third-place finishes. The annual races were held on the Potomac River during the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. Overall, Villanova had four boats place in the finals, helping the team to finish fifth out of 12 in the team standings with 25 points.

The Varsity Four and Varsity Eight boats each registered third-place finishes. The Varsity 4 boat covered the 2,000-meter course in a time of 7:39.70, finishing behind a powerful Virginia team as well as the host Colonials. The Varsity 8 boat crossed in 6:27.80, well ahead of Big East rival West Virginia, and just .10 seconds behind Georgetown. George Washington won the race with a time of 6:23.80.

The other two Wildcat boats were the Freshman 8 and the Second Varsity 8. The Freshman Eight finished in 7:16.50, behind George Washington, Virginia and Georgetown. Meanwhile, the Second Varsity Eight qualified for the Petite Final and finished sixth overall out of seven teams with a time of 7:28.90.

Virginia scored 67 points to beat out George Washington (51) in the team standings. Navy (46) and Georgetown (45) were also ahead of the Wildcats in the standings. The 2,000-meter race featured sunny weather with temperatures in the low 60's and a moderate headwind.