Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
IRA Lightweight National Championships
Bucknell's Lightweight Eight Advances to IRA National Championship Grand Final
6/5/2009 8:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
June 5, 2009
GOLD RIVER, Calif. (Lake Natoma) – The Bucknell women's rowing lightweight eight has advanced to the Grand Final of the IRA National Championship Regatta for a fourth consecutive year after taking second in its heat Friday morning. The Bison claimed second in the four-boat field, finishing just 1.87 seconds behind first-place Stanford.
The top two boats in the heat automatically advanced to Saturday's Grand Final. Bucknell, which finished in 7 minutes, 2.97 seconds, was .18 seconds ahead of third-place Princeton (7:03.15). The Bison lightweight eight lost to Princeton by more than 20 seconds in April on Lake Carnegie.
Bucknell, which won the only national title in school history by winning the IRA Regatta in 2007 and is coming off last month's Dad Vail Regatta championship, will compete in Saturday's final at 2 p.m. (Eastern). The Bison finished fourth overall last year and sixth in 2006.
Lightweight Eight Results
Heat (top two to Saturday's Grand Final)
1. Stanford – 7:01.10
2. Bucknell – 7:02.97
3. Princeton – 7:03.15
4. MIT – 7:31.16
