Women of Troy take fifth at NCAAs
The top-ranked varsity eight boat lost its first race all season, finishing third.
Jason Finkelstein
The Women of Troy capped off their impressive 2007 season by finishing third in the varsity eight and winning the petite finals in both the second eight and varsity four events at the NCAA Division I Rowing Championships, held May 25-27 in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Going into the final day of competition, USC's No. 1 ranked varsity eight had qualified for its grand final by winning its races on May 25 and 26.
However, the Women of Troy were not able to complete an undefeated season, as they fell to Yale and Ohio State, finishing just two seconds from first in 6:39.45.
USC finished with 48 points, fifth overall in the 12-team field. Brown won its fifth national title with 58 points.
"Even though after such a successful season expectations go up and we all hoped for better results, the results were still very good and they still performed the best in the history of [the program]," USC coach Zenon Babraj said.
Unlike their teammates, USC's second eight and varsity four both fell in May 26's races and were relegated to petite finals. Yet both boats made the most of their opportunities. After finishing fourth on that day, USC's second eight won its petite final in 6:58.34, defeating host Tennessee and five other competitors.
The varsity four's petite final victory was resounding, as they finished in 7:44.06, well ahead of the field, which included Minnesota, Tennessee and Notre Dame.
"I am very proud of the team this year. We have made history for USC's rowing program," said senior co-captain Jessica Smith, who rowed in the second eight. "I know each girl did (her) absolute best during all their races and finishing fifth overall will give the girls something to work on for next year."

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