CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
 
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – All seven of the conference’s women’s rowing squads are set to compete for the 2018 American Athletic Conference Women’s Rowing Championship on Saturday, May 12 at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken, N.J. The event will consist of six grand final races, beginning at 8 a.m. ET and with the entire regatta broadcast live on the American Digital Network.
 
The winning team in the field of UCF, UConn, Sacramento State, San Diego State, SMU, Temple and Tulsa will earn The American’s automatic team bid to the 2018 NCAA Rowing Championships.
 
UCF enters as the three-time defending American Women’s Rowing champions, having swept every race in last year’s regatta. The Knights’ Varsity 8 crew picked up two final victories on the spring, earning its best time of 6:24.6 to take the win at the Sunshine State Invitational on April 7. The Second Varsity 8 has been recognized twice on the season as the American Boat of the Week. All Knight boats are seeded in the top three in each respective final.
 
Tulsa, the runner-up for the past three seasons, sports a two-time Boat of the Week honoree in its Varsity 8 crew. Heading into Saturday, the Golden Hurricane boasts the top-seeded crews in both the Varsity 8 and Second Varsity 8 as they seek their first NCAA Rowing Championship appearance.
 
The Golden Hurricane went head-to-head with UCF on April 7 at the Sunshine State Invitational, taking a close second to the Knights by just over a second in pristine conditions.
 
Temple and UConn own the remaining top seeds, with the Owls serving as the favorite in the Varsity 4 and the Huskies in the Third Varsity 4. Furthermore, every San Diego State boat enters as a top-five seed as the Aztecs tied for third place with Sacramento State in 2017.
 
Two teams, UConn and SMU, have previously raced at Cooper River Park this spring. Both squads competed at April 21’s Cherry Hill Invitational, with SMU’s Varsity 8 earning Boat of the Week accolades after taking second overall in the grand final.
 
For full coverage of the American Athletic Conference Rowing Championship, visit Championship Central at TheAmerican.org/Rowing and follow @American_Rowing on Twitter.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Saturday, May 12 (all times Eastern)
Cooper River Park – Pennsauken, N.J.
Third Varsity 4                        8 a.m.
Second Varsity 4                    8:10 a.m.
Third Varsity 8                        8:20 a.m.
Varsity 4                                 8:30 a.m.
Second Varsity 8                    8:40 a.m.
Varsity 8                                 8:50 a.m.
Awards Ceremony                 9:45 a.m.