April 22, 2002

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - The Jacksonville Rowing teams had outstanding semifinal performances, but were unable to duplicate their success in the finals at the Southern Intercollegiate Regatta Association (SIRA) Championships Saturday and Sunday on Melton Hill Lake.

The women's varsity 8+ clocked a time of 7:17.9 to finish fourth in its heat on Saturday and advance to the semifinals, where it posted a time of 7:21.2 to place second. The Dolphins ran into trouble in the finals on Sunday, though, as they were disqualified for interfering with another boat.

The women's novice 4+ had an up-and-down weekend as it clocked a time of 8:24.5 to finish third in its heat and a time of 8:10.8 to finish first in the semifinals, however, on Sunday the squad clocked a time of 8:37.4 to finish sixth in the finals. The men's varsity 8+ finished fifth in its heat with a time of 6:39.6 and did not advance.

Purdue won the overall championship with 59 points, followed by Marietta in second with 46 and Tennessee and Ohio State tying for third with 36. Purdue also won the women's title, followed by Tennessee in second and Miami in third. Marietta took the men's title, while Purdue finished second and Virginia finished third.