Lakers armed and dangerous for ACRA
Grand Valley Rowing is travelling to Oklahoma City this weekend to participate in the 2010 American Collegiate Rowing Association National Championship. The Lakers are coming off a disappointing finish at the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta but look to resolve their season on a high note. GVSU won the Team Points Championship at the inaugural ACRA National Championship in 2008 and then repeated as champions in 2009. Looking for a three-peat, GVSU will be sending nearly the entire squad to Oklahoma City to help earn team points.
Leading the charge will be the men’s and women’s varsity eights. The men come into the weekend having made the grand finals at the San Diego Crew Classic and SIRA, but falling short at the Dad Vail and having a narrow loss at the Lubbers Cup. The men are seeded fourth. However, they look to be peaking at the right time and will be hoping to improve on last year’s bronze medal finish at the ACRA. The women have been grand finalists at the SDCC, SIRA, and Dad Vail, but have fallen short of the medal stand on each instance. The women enter the weekend as the number two seed behind Purdue, and will be looking to end their season well this weekend.
Other entries include the men’s and women’s novice eights. The women have risen to the occasion all spring, with wins at Lubbers, SIRA, MACRA, and a fourth place finish at Dad Vail. They will enter the regatta as the top seed and look to continue their high performance. The men have had a more roller coaster season, but have picked up speed in the weeks leading up to the regatta and are looking to improve on past performance. They enter the weekend in the seventh seed.
GVSU will also field multiple small boats this weekend. Leading that contingent is the Dad Vail Champion men’s varsity four. The boat is comprised entirely of sophomores and has come on strong over the final month of the season. The field at the ACRA looks to be just as challenging, if not more so than the Dad Vail. Joining the four will be a men’s pair, a men’s novice lightweight four, and a men’s double. On the women’s side, the Lakers will be rowing a women’s varsity four, a women’s pair, a women’s double, and two women’s singles.
The Lakers will arrive in Oklahoma City early Friday for a practice. The heats and semi-finals will take place on Saturday, with the grand finals on Sunday.
