UD rowers complete best season with national finish

The University of Delaware women's rowing team concluded its best season in school history by placing seventh overall at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships June 2 on the Cooper River.

The meet is the national championship for Lightweight Eights women's teams and for all NCAA men‚s programs. The NCAA Championships includes only women's Heavyweight Eights and Heavyweight Fours events.

Delaware's team of Dana Hammond, Susan Krause, Jen Buckley, Gayle Dornan, Gail Orem, Denise Burke, Dana Lohr, Nicole Ferrari, and Whitney McCormick rowed to a time of 7:08.5 to win the Petite (consolation) final. The team also won the Lightweight Eights competitions at the prestigious Dad Vail Regatta in May, helping the Blue Hens win the women's team title from more than 150 teams. This past season was just the third varsity season for the UD rowing team.

Princeton won the overall title, winning the Grand (championship) final with a time of 6:47.5. Wisconsin (6:53.3) was second followed by Radcliffe (7:02.1), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (7:02.5), Villanova (7:05.8), and Mercyhurst (7:07.0). Delaware won the petite final ahead of Marist (7:11.6), St Joseph‚s (7:15.7), Dayton (7:16.2), UCLA (7:18.3), and Central Florida (7:43.3)