May 28, 1999
The Villanova women's crew team began their title defense Friday morning with a victory in their heat of the lightweight eight race in the Intercollegiate Rowing Championship. The Wildcats are 1998 National Championship in the Lightweight Eight, which was won at last year's IRA Regatta. The event is held on Cooper River in Camden, N.J. and is attended by over 100 schools.
Villanova defeated Virginia, Mercyherst 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. Villanova's outstanding time earned them an automatic bid to the finals and a top-seed. The final for the lightweight eight race is scheduled for 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, May 29.
Earlier this season at the Knect Cup, which is held at the same venue in New Jersey, the Wildcats finished first with a time of 7:07.01, defeating UMass and Bucknell for the victory. In the latest US Rowing poll, Villanova is ranked second behind Princeton. The two have met twice this season, in which the Tigers won both events narrowly.
The boat includes a host of seasoned veterans, 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. Approximate race time for the semifinals for the lightweight eight is 8:30 a.m. on Friday, while the finals are scheduled for 2:50 p.m. on Saturday.
