Alabama Leaves Creighton In Wake

The Alabama Rowing team won five races against Creighton here on the Black Warrior River today in the Crimson Tide’s final home race of the 2008 season in front of a crowd of 200-plus fans who braved drizzly and cool conditions.

“I was a little anxious coming into today, watching the weather,” Alabama head coach Larry Davis said. “But it turned out to be a perfect day for rowing. Despite the conditions, with the currents running a little fast against due to the spill off, we rowed well, winning five of six races which is certainly not bad.”

Alabama came away with wins in the First Varsity 8+, Second Varsity 8+, the second flight of the Varsity 4+ and both the Novice 8+ and the Novice 4+ races. Creighton won the first flight of the Varsity 4+ race.

“I thought we were heads and shoulders better in the 8s,” Davis said. “To move up nationally we knew we’d have to be strong in the 8s and we have focused on that and are making great strides. Even with our focus on the 8s I thought we were still very competitive in the 4s.”

The Tide 8s won all their races by healthy margins, taking the First Varsity by 25 seconds, posting a 7:40.0, the Second Varsity race by 17 seconds after crossing the finish line at 7:49.0 and the Novice 8+ finished a minute ahead of the Bluejays top boat turning in a 7:59.0.

Alabama won the second flight of the Varsity 4+ by an 18 seconds margin with its “B” boat, turning in an 8:28.0. The Tide’s Novice 4+, in the closest race of the day, pulled out a two-second win, crossing the line at 9:06.8.

Creighton’s lone win came in the first flight of the Varsity 4+ where the Bluejays posted an 8:49.5 to the Tide’s 8:54.3.

Alabama honored its five-member senior class after the meet, including: Spanish Fort native Sarah Beaver who is majoring in Chemistry; Bryn Crawford from Auburn, who is majoring in Food and Nutrition; Cordova, Tenn. native McKenna Frease, a Marine Science and Biology major; Health Care Management major Leigh Ann Lazarus who is a Hoover native; and Margaret Strojny from Riverside, Illinois , an Art and Art History major.

“A team is always better when it has strong senior leadership,” Davis said. “We’ve been fortunate to improve a great deal over our first years and these ladies have played a big part in that.”

Alabama has one more regular season meet, a dual meet at Murray State next Saturday, before starting the championship portion of its season with the Southern Rowing Championships April 18 in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

RESULTS: First Varsity 8+ - 1. UA 7:40.0, 2. CU 8:05.1; Second Varsity 8+ - 1. UA 7:49.0, 2. CU 8:16.0; Varsity 4+, Flight 1 – 1. CU 8:49.5, 2. UA 8:54.8, 3. CU 9:47.7; Varsity 4+, Flight 2 –1. UA “B” 8:28.0, 2. CU “B” 8:46.5, 3. UA “C” 8:49.1, 4. UA “A” 9:09.3, 5. CU “A” 9:34.6; Novice 8+ - 1. UA 7:59.0; 2. CU 9:02.0; Novice 4+ - 1. UA “A” 9:06.8, 2. CU 9:09.5, 3. UA “B” 9:26.9.