May 13, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Carole Grills
(413) 585-2703

Smith Crew Selected to NCAA Division III Rowing Championship

Northampton, MA: The Smith Pioneers have been selected to compete in the 2009 NCAA Division III Rowing Championship to be held May 29-30 at Cooper River Park in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. This appearance at Nationals will be Smith's fifth in the past eight years. The Pioneers finished fourth in 2006, second in both 2004 and 2005 and sixth in 2002.

The championships are comprised of seven teams and each team is required to field two boats of eight rowers and a coxswain.  Two at-large eights also are selected. Pool A, which consists of the conference champions that have been awarded automatic berths, will feature Williams College, the defending champion.  Pool B/C includes independents, institutions from conferences that do not meet automaticqualification standards and Pool A institutions that did not recieve thier conference's automatic qualification.  Teams that will race in Pool B/C are Bates, Ithaca, Puget Sound, St. Lawrence, Smith and Trinity (Connecticut).  At-large eights selected to race in the 2009 championship include Washington (Maryland) and Willamette.

For championship information and results, please go to www.ncaa.com.