University of Virginia Library

Crew Team Takes Top Berth In SIRA

By PETE GLUBIAK

Crew Team Garners Crucial Victory In Southerns

In what had to be its most
satisfying and important
victory to date this season, the
University's crew team won a
convincing race Saturday
afternoon in the Southern
Intercollegiate Rowing
Association's Championship
Regatta. In front of a large
crowd of mostly Florida
supporters the oarsmen
captured what many people
felt a key race on the way to
the Dad Vail Regatta in
Philadelphia May 10-12.

After whetting the appetites
of at least a few contenders,
the varsity won by an
overwhelming margin in the
title race against Rollins, FIT
and The Citadel. The finals
themselves turned out to be a
lot less of a race than expected.

Many felt the Cavalier
oarsmen were having their
problems and couldn't put
together the race necessary to
beat Rollins which had won
the Florida State
Championships the week
before and qualified easily
winnings its two earlier heats.

The convincing victory
of the Virginia oarsmen on the
short 1700 meter course in a
time of 5:41 was six seconds
faster than Rollins crossing the
line in 5:47 followed by FIT at
5:48 and the Citadel in 5:54.

In another somewhat
successful event, the
University's varsity four took a
third place behind Florida
Southern College and the
University of Alabama.

A lightweight event also saw
a Cavalier boat place a
very respectable third. In losing
to FIT and FTU lightweight
lights the Virginia lights
avenged an earlier loss to
ECU's lights, and crossed the
line 2 lengths ahead of the 4th
place ECU crew.

This race was only the
second race the lights have
been able to enter as an official
lightweight boat and hope to
build on the third place finish
and look to next week's D.C.
championships as a warm up
for the Dad Vail's.

Next week's D.C.,
Championships should be
another win in the varsity's
quest of a national college
division championship. The Cav
oarsmen will enter a
heavyweight eight, four and
lightweight eight against
Georgetown and George
Washington University. With
the SIRA victory under its belt
and the trophy back in
Charlottesville for the third
straight time rumors are now in
the air that Virginia will be a
contender for a Dad Vail
Championship.