University of Tennessee Athletics
Rowing Central: Central Florida
February 19, 2016 | Rowing
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. --Tennessee Rowing will open the 2016 season in Orlando, Florida on Saturday as they take on Central Florida at 2 p.m. ET.
36 Volunteer student-athletes made the trip to Florida and will train for a few days before competing against UCF in the season opener. The Vols will scrimmage in four eight person boats with a coxswain (8+).
Central Florida finished last season with five votes in the final CRCA/US Rowing Coaches Poll which placed them 27th in the country.
This is not the only time that Tennessee will take on UCF this season as Central Florida will come to Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge alongside Iowa and Clemson on May 1st in the final regular season race of the season for Tennessee.
Last season, the Vols took on UCF in the regular season finale. Central Florida beat the Vols in both the first and second Varsity 8+, but Tennessee responded by winning the first and second Varsity 4+ as well as the Novice 8+. Iowa also competed against UCF and Tennessee that weekend.
In the fall, the rowing team competed at three different races. UT sent one boat to the Head of the Charles race in Boston. The squad of four freshman (Kirsten Girard, Pari Baker, Badia Shehab and Hannah Malzahn) along with redshirt senior McDarragh Minnock took ninth place in the Women's Championship 4+ race. The team then sent two 8+ novice boats to the Secret City Head Race where the novices got their first taste of collegiate rowing. UT finished up the fall season at the Head of the Hooch where six boats competed in three races. The top 8+ boat took fourth place while the Volunteers also took fifth in the Championship 4+ race.
Saturday's contest against Central Florida will be the first of five races that the Vols will compete in before heading to the Big XII Conference Championship.
For more information about the Tennessee rowing team, follow TennesseeRowing on Facebook and @Vol_Rowing on Twitter and Instagram.
