April 26, 2005

WORCESTER, Mass. - At the Big East Championship on Lake Quinsigiamond, Villanova accumulated a total of 44 points and finished in seventh place out of eight teams at the conference regatta. Notre Dame scored 116 points to lead the field and capture its second straight title, while Boston College (92) was runner-up. Rutgers (90), Connecticut (76), Syracuse (75) and Georgetown (45) were also in front of the Wildcats, while West Virginia (40) finished eighth.

The top finish for the Wildcats came in the Novice Eight race, where Villanova posted a fourth-place finish. The Novice Eight boat finished second in its preliminary heat and was seeded fourth overall heading to the finals. The Wildcats then equaled their seed in the finals with a time of 8:55.34. Rutgers won the race with a time of 8:05.75. The top two boats in each heat, plus the two boats with the next fastest times advance to the final.

Villanova also placed eighth overall in the Varsity Eight race. In that race, the Wildcats finished fourth in their heat and were seeded eighth heading into the finals. Villanova then raced in the Petite Final and posted a time of 8:34.51, finishing six seconds behind Georgetown. In the Grand Final, Syracuse crossed in a time of 8:05.14 to finish first. The top three boats in each preliminary heat advanced to the final.

The Wildcats other two entries in the conference regatta were in the Varsity Four and Second Varsity Eight races. The Varsity Four boat finished fourth in the second preliminary heat with a time of 10:40.30. Only the top three boats in each heat advanced to the final. In the Second Varsity Eight race, the Wildcats finished fourth in the first heat, trailing Notre Dame, Connecticut and Boston College. The top two boats in each heat, plus the two boats with the next fastest times, advanced to the final. Notre Dame went on to win the final with a time of 8:23.11 that was 12 seconds faster than Boston College.

The Big East regatta has been held annually since 2001. The first four events were known officially as "Challenges" while the 2005 event was the first to be called the Big East Championship. Villanova finished seventh overall in 2001 and 2002, and was eighth overall in 2003 and 2004. Syracuse won the first three team titles, while Notre Dame has captured the last two.

The Wildcats return to action on April 30 when they go to Syracuse for a regatta that will include Syracuse and Massachusetts.