Rowing Has Good Day against SMU
3/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
DALLAS, Texas - After sitting through a six-hour weather delay, the Alabama Rowing team put together what head coach Larry Davis termed a good, but not great day against the SMU Mustangs on White Rock Lake.
The meet was supposed to get underway at 8 a.m., but due to heavy rains that raised the water level to the point that the dock was unreachable until later in the day. When the meet finally started at 2 p.m. Alabama went 1-2 in the novice race and won the Varsity 4 by a healthy margin.
Alabama put up two Novice boats with its first crew posting a 7:21.31 and its second crew crossing the line at 7:38.40. SMU finished third with an 8:02.40.
"Our novices continue to row well," Davis said. "They really got after it today and put together a great race. I was really pleased with their performance."
Alabama also won the Varsity 4 race in its first attempt of the spring season. The Tide turned in an 8:05.04, handily beating the Mustang's 8:29.24.
"I was pleased how we came back and rowed in the Varsity 4 after not rowing well in our first Varsity 8 race," Davis said. "They performed quite well in their second race of the day."
In the most exciting race of the day, Alabama's second Varsity 8 was just nipped by SMU, finishing 5 hundredths of a seconds back, 7:19.37 to 7:19.42.
"That was some race and it came down to the last split second to see who would come out on top," Davis said. "The second varsity rowed a great race, taking them right down to the end."
Alabama first Varsity 8 didn't have as good a day, struggling early and never quite putting things together, finishing with a 7:08.02, well behind the Mustang's 6:57.44.
"In the first Varsity 8, we saw some of the same problems we had against Bucknell crop back up, problems we thought we'd put to rest," Davis said. "We're going to have to go back and work on those and get them squared away."
After opening up the spring season with three straight road meets, Alabama has its very first home event next Saturday, April 7 on the Black Warrior River against Murray State.
