The Ithaca College women's crew has received an invitation to the NCAA Division III rowing championship, scheduled for Friday, May 30 and Saturday, May 31 at Eagle Creek Reservoir in Indianapolis, Ind.
This marks the second time a Division III championship is being sponsored (previously the championship was an all-division event with a certain number of spots allocated for Division II/III schools). The championship is comprised of six teams (Colby, Ithaca, Puget Sound, Trinity [Conn.], U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and Wellesley); each team fields two boats of eight rowers and a coxswain.
The Bombers are making their fifth appearance in the NCAA rowing championship, which was first contested in 1997. That year Ithaca's entry -- a women's four -- placed 10th of 16 teams. A year later, Ithaca qualified a varsity eight for the national championship. That event was also held at Lake Lanier. In 2001 the Bombers competed at the NCAA championships for the third time.
Last year Ithaca competed in the NCAA's first Division III rowing championship (the previous national championship events had included schools from all three divisions) and the Bombers tied for third.
Contributed by Michael Warwick
