March 29, 2013
NORFOLK, VA – The Old Dominion University rowing team will scrimmage the No. 1 ranked team in the country, the University of Virginia tomorrow in Charlottesville, Va. Competition is set to take place on the beautiful Rivanna Reservoir, which totals five miles in length.
The Lady Monarchs kicked off their spring season last weekend with a team victory over UNC in Norfolk, Va. Old Dominion defeated UNC by nearly 13 seconds in the Varsity 8 race. Allison Giegerich headed a team of: Maeghan Pardy, Jenna Sterling, Abby Voss, Paige Madison, Colleen Rennie, Gretchen Schmitt, Keira Flanagan and Shannon Huff. ODU posted a time of 7:29.5, while North Carolina finished in 7:42.2.
Perhaps the most exciting race of that UNC meet came in the Varsity Four race, which was decided by a mere five tenths of second. Coxswain Ashley Payne, Kaela Woods, Ashley Mauroff, Ashley Nardiello and Chelsea Trice prevailed for the Lady Monarchs in this race. This group of Lady Monarchs finished in 8:41.1; UNC crossed the finish-line at the 8:41.1 mark.
Last Saturday's home race marked the last home event for the ODU seniors, which happens to be part of head coach Daniel Garbutt's first recruiting class. This senior class will end their careers at Old Dominion without losing a single home meet.
Last week, the defending national champion Virginia rowing team was voted No. 1 in the first Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association/USRowing Coaches Poll of the 2013 season. It is the 11th time in UVA’s history that the Cavaliers have been ranked No. 1 in the national weekly poll.
The Cavaliers earned 20 first-place votes for 474 points, ahead of California, who was second with 448 points (five first-place votes). UVA has been nationally ranked for 56 consecutive weeks and 92 times overall.