May 15, 2003
Women’s Rowing Ties For Second at A-10’s
The George Washington University
and Rhode Island University tied for second place at the Atlantic 10
Women’s Rowing Championships with 35 points each, overcoming a
stormy day on the Cooper River in Collingswood, NJ. The University of
Massachusetts won its eighth consecutive A-10 Women’s Rowing Championship
title, winning four of nine races and posting 45 total points.
For the Colonials, it marks the seventh time in eight years that they
have finished second at the A-10 Championship, and caps a strong year
for the team.
To start the season the women’s team recorded a strong showing
in a dual meet against Cornell. The women’s crews traveled to Ithaca,
NY, for the sixth meeting between the Colonials and the Big Red of Cornell
(which finished last year ranked 14th in the nation). Despite significant
size and experience disadvantages, GW battled for respect in each heat,
and nearly pulled out an upset in the final varsity eight heat.
The Colonials followed that performance with another strong showing
at the Playfair Cup in Boston, MA against Boston University, Georgetown,
MIT, and Navy. During the morning races, GW’s novice eight stole
the show with aggressive racing, earning the victory with a solid, three-second
margin ahead of the crew from closest competitor Boston.
Men’s Rowing Makes Progress
The GW men’s rowing team recently competed in the 2,000 meter Southern
Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) Championships at Oak Ridge,
TN. The GW novice eight, second varsity eight, and varsity eight had
solid performances at the competition.
The novice eight won its first heat easily, advancing to the semifinals,
but lost to a talented Marietta crew which led from start to finish.
At this year’s annual George Washington Invitational Crew Classic,
the US Naval Academy crews took five first-place finishes and a pair
of third-place finishes to capture the Gilbert H. Hood, Jr. Point Trophy.
The second-place finish was GW’s best performance since taking
second in the 1994 GW Crew Classic.
For the first time in the event’s history, the race was rowed up-river
into a strong headwind and an even stronger current. GW coach Steve
Peterson said the change was necessary for safety reasons, compensating
for the higher and faster moving river and turbulent waters caused by
several days of rain. The course also was shortened to 1,500 meters
from the normal 2,000 meters. Tennessee’s women’s varsity
eight won the Howard Wilkins Bowl, beating the Colonials boat by 19
seconds.
GW’s Davidson, Osborne Earn Top
Senior Athlete Awards
Men’s soccer forward Matt Osborne and women’s basketball guard
Lindsey Davidson were named the 2003 recipients of the J. Dallas Shirley
Outstanding Senior Male Athlete Award and the Lynn George Outstanding
Senior Woman Athlete Award, respectively, at GW’s annual Senior
Honors Luncheon May 5.
Osborne set a single-season record for points with 49, scoring 19 goals
and recording 11 assists this season. He also ranks second in GW men’s
soccer history in total points and goals scored. Osborne will graduate
magna cum laude with a degree in exercise science.
Davidson was a four-year letterwinner who ranks third in career assists
with 426, and fifth in three-point field goals. She also has been awarded
a Presidential Administrative Fellowship.
Baseball’s Tony Dokoupil and women’s tennis player Tracy Wei
won the Senior Male and Female Athlete Academic Awards, respectively.
Top academic teams were men’s water polo (3.32 GPA) and women’s
lacrosse (3.37 GPA).
Colonials Keep Swinging
The GW baseball team opened May with a streak-ending loss to area rival
George Mason University and a tough series against the nationally-ranked
Richmond Spiders.
GW lost to the Patriots, 4–2, at Barcroft Park May 1, snapping
an 11-game winning streak.
The streak matched an earlier 11-game run, marking the first time that
the Colonials have had two winning streaks of 10 or more games in a
single season.
Following the loss to George Mason, No. 14 Richmond swept the Colonials
in a three-game series despite another stand-out performance from senior
Greg Conden (6–4), who pitched his 12th career complete game.
GW entered May with an overall record of 30–11 (.732), the 19th
highest winning percentage of the 287 Division I schools, after jumping
out to its best start (15–4) since 1957. The club is currently
in fourth place in the A-10 west division behind first place Richmond
(39–8 overall, 17–3 in the A-10), second place Duquesne (23–23,
14–7), and third place Xavier (20–24–2, 10–8). The
top two teams in each division automatically advance to the conference
championships, followed by the next two teams with the best conference
winning percentage.
In 41 games this season, the Colonials have generated 343 runs, and
rank 15th in the nation averaging 8.37 runs per game. GW is 16–0
when the team scores in double digits, and leads conference in several
team offensive categories including: batting average (.314), home runs
(50), doubles (97), runs (343), and RBI (326).
Boys Basketball Camp Registration Underway
The GW Boys Basketball Camp, run by men’s basketball coach Karl
Hobbs and held at Smith Center, has openings available for campers age
8–16. Camp dates are June 23–27 and June 30–July 3. GW
employees and students will receive the discounted rate of $200 per
week. Additional discounts, totaling of $150 off the regular two-week
fee of $500, are available for registering for both sessions. For more
information, or to register online, visit gwsports.com or call Shirlynn
Jones at 994-6651.
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
