PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Eight BIG EAST schools will descend on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J., for the 2011 BIG EAST Rowing Championship on Sunday, May 1. Preliminary races will begin at 8 a.m. Eastern time, with the first final to start at 10:50 a.m. This year marks the seventh annual BIG EAST Rowing Championship but will be the 11th time the BIG EAST will crown a conference champion. The championship was formerly referred to as a “challenge” from 2001-2004. Notre Dame has claimed each of last seven titles dating back to 2004.
The Irish will have their work cut out for them as they search for their eighth-straight BIG EAST rowing title. The seven consecutive BIG EAST titles is the longest current active streak in the conference in any sport. Notre Dame enters as the favorite in just two scoring events; the second varsity eight and the second varsity four. However, the Irish are the only BIG EAST team in the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association/USRowing team rankings, coming in at No. 20. The Irish also have the third-ranked varsity eight and the fourth-ranked varsity four in the Central Region. The Irish varsity four boat earned BIG EAST Boat of the Week for the week of April 20 after finishing second in the Group B finals at the Lake Natoma Invitational.
Louisville enters the BIG EAST Championship with the No. 1 seeded varsity eight crew. The Cardinals also own the No. 1 seeded varsity four boat. Louisville’s varsity eight earned wins over two top-20 teams this season, including defeating No. 10 Wisconsin at the Longhorn Invitational and No. 16 Tennessee in a dual. The Cardinals took home the season’s first BIG EAST Boat of the Week honors after edging out Wisconsin by .05 seconds to upset the 10th-ranked Badgers. The team is receiving votes in the CRCA/USRowing national poll.
Syracuse is the third-seeded varsity eight. The crew has spent much of its season in Boston, Mass., competing there four times this spring. The Orange also have the second-seeded third varsity eight, a crew that won the Kittell Cup over Boston University on March 26. The Orange are the only other team besides Notre Dame to claim a title, winning the BIG EAST Challenge three-straight times from 2001-2003.
Rutgers earned the No. 4 seed among varsity eight boats. The Scarlet Knights earned BIG EAST Boat of the Week on March 30after claiming the title at the Murphy Cup Regatta. RU won its heat and then beat out crews from St. Joseph’s, Navy, Drexel, Bucknell and Fordham to claim first in the final.
The remaining varsity eight seeds include No. 5 Georgetown, No. 6 West Virginia, No. 7 Connecticut and No. 8 Villanova.
Four Different Teams Earn Conference Accolades
In the weeks leading up to the BIG EAST Championship, four different schools took home BIG EAST Boat of the Week honors including Louisville, Rutgers, Notre Dame and Connecticut.
Championship Central
The most up-to-date information on the 2011 BIG EAST Rowing Championship is on the Championship Central Page. Results and other exclusive content can be seen free of charge.
All-Time BIG EAST Rowing Champions
2001* Syracuse
2002* Syracuse
2003* Syracuse
2004* Notre Dame
2005 Notre Dame
2006 Notre Dame
2007 Notre Dame
2008 Notre Dame
2009 Notre Dame
2010 Notre Dame
*Known as BIG EAST Challenge from 2001-2004.
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TIME
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EVENTS / LANES
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Lane 1
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Lane 2
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Lane 3
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Lane 4
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Lane 5
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Lane 6
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8:00 a.m.
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V8 - Heat #1
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UofL
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RU
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GU
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VU
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8:10 a.m.
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V8 - Heat #2
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ND
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SU
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WVU
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UCONN
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8:20 a.m.
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2V8 - Heat #1
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ND
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GU
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UCONN
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WVU
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8:30 a.m.
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2V8 - Heat #2
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UofL
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SU
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RU
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VU
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8:40 a.m.
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V4 - Heat #1
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UofL
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GU
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UCONN
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VU
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8:50 a.m.
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V4 - Heat #2
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ND
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SU
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RU
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WVU
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9:00 a.m.
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3V8 - Heat #1
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GU
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UofL
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UCONN
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WVU
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9:10 a.m.
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3V8 - Heat #2
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SU
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ND
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RU
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10:50 a.m.
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3V4 - FINAL **
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ND
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GU
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** Non-scoring Event
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11:00 a.m.
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2V4 - FINAL *
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ND
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GU
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UofL
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UCONN
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WVU
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* Score pts from 2nd
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11:10 a.m.
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3V8 - FINAL
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11:20 a.m.
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V4 - PETITE
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11:30 a.m.
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V4 - FINAL
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11:40 a.m.
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2V8 - PETITE
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11:50 a.m.
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2V8 - FINAL
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12:00 p.m.
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V8 - PETITE
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12:10 p.m.
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V8 - FINAL
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