Four Boats will Race in Grand Finals at SIRA Championships
4/17/2011 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - Foul weather impacted the first day of the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships, but the Alabama rowing team still managed to move two of its boats into Sunday's Grand Finals with two others slated to compete for first time on Sunday.
Due to the weather, the regatta officials condensed the race schedule. The Crimson Tide's First and Second Varsity 8+ will start things off in the Grand Finals of those two events. Alabama's First Varsity will face Conference USA rivals Kansas State, Tulsa and SMU, along with Purdue and Jacksonville while the Second Varsity will face the same field, minus Jacksonville.
Alabama's Varsity 4+ boat won its heat of the Women's Open race with a 7:24.7 and will compete in Sunday's Grand Final. The Tide's Second Novice 8+ boat finished third in its heat with a 7:05.05 and advanced to the Grand Final. The Tide's First Novice 8+ boat struggled with some illness and finished out of the running for the finals with a 6:57.91.
The weather is suppose to be much improved on Sunday and should allow for smoother racing in the events final day.
