June 1, 1999

In the Grand Final of the Lightweight eight race at the Intercollegiate Rowing Championships, the Princeton Tigers were four seconds faster than defending champion Villanova. The Tigers won the race with a time fo 9:32.30, while Nova finished at 9:36.30. The remaining boats finished in the following order: Virginia, Radcliffe, Wisconsin and Mercyhurst. This, the final event for the Wildcats 1999 season, was held on Cooper River in Camden, N.J. and is attended annually by over 100 schools.

In the semifinals, Villanova defeated Virginia, Mercyhurst and Humbolt in the second heat with a time of 6:50.10. In the first heat, Princeton won with a time of 6:55.50, while Wisconsin and Radcliffe followed with times of 7:06.00 and 7:12.60 respectively. The Lightweight Eight boat's roster is led by one of the top rowers in the country, senior Meghan Sarbanis (Hampstead, N.H./Pinkerten Academy). Other members include Amber Kyle (Telluride, Colo./Telluride H.S.), Katie Arnell (Ringwood, N.J./DePaul H.S.), Carole Martell (Fairfax, Va./James W. Robinson H.S.), Kristin Bubnis (Milltown, N.J./Bishop Ahr H.S.), Maureen McCurry (Chicago, Ill./St. Ignatius Prep), Hannah Moore (Glenville, N.Y./Niskayuna H.S.), Linsday Walters (Wayne, Pa./Radnor H.S.) and coxswain, Jennifer Smalltini (Milltown, N.J./Bishop Ahr H.S.).

Last season, the women won the school's first national championship in the lightweight eight event, defeating Radcliff and Princeton at the 1998 IRA. Following their title, the team traveled to England to take part in the prestigious Henley Regatta. For updated information throughout the weekend, updates can be found on Villanova's Athletic website at www.villanova.com or the official homepage for the IRA at www.row2k.com.