March 27, 2008

Three weeks removed from any competition, LMU rowing returns to action this weekend with the women's lightweight 8 competing in the Pac-10 Challenge Sponsored by Windermere Real Estate at Redwood Shores in Palo Alto, CA. The Lions will race in four head-to-head events over the two days against several top national teams.

The lightweight 8 will take to the water in the weekend's first event on Saturday at 9 a.m. against Princeton, who finished second at last year's Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship. The lighties will match up against Stanford later in the day at 3:08 p.m. Stanford placed fifth at last year's IRA Nationals.

Sunday's schedule features a single race at 10:28 a.m., with LMU and MIT competing in what should be a close affair. MIT edged LMU by 4.8 seconds last year at the IRA Nationals.

"We are happy to be invited to Windermere again this year," Women's Varsity Coach Sara-Mai Conway said. "It is a great opportunity for us to race against some of the top lightweight teams in the nation and get a feel for where we will stand at this year's national championships."

LMU's lineup for the weekend will consist of Candice Matheny at coxswain, with Larissa Meltz, Courtney Bannerman, Talya Courtney, Jen Glassman, Liz LaLonde, Kathryn Maloney, Jill Austin, and Mary Foster at positions 1-through-8.

LMU's last scheduled race, the Long Beach Spring Regatta, was cancelled due to harsh weather, making the Lions anxious to compete again. "After the cancellation of the spring regatta, the team is eager to get back out on the race course and test themselves," Conway said. "This weekend will be a big challenge for us but I'm confident that this group will rise to the occasion."

The complete weekend schedule is available online at http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-crew/spec-rel/08-pac10-challenge.html