March 28, 2008

A new coach and new optimism surrounds the Dayton Flyers women's rowing team as UD opens the spring season at Indiana University in a three-team meet on Saturday, March 29.

Led by first-year head coach Derek Copeland, the Flyers will compete against Indiana and Eastern Michigan in their spring opener.

UD is riding a wave of optimism after a strong team showing against the Ohio State Buckeyes in their first race of the 2007-08 campaign. Back in November the Varsity 8 beat OSU's Varsity by 17 seconds, finishing with a time of 11:57 over a 3,500 meter course.

For the Flyers and Copeland, the opener is more than a meet, but a sneak preview of who will represent the team at the end of the year in the Atlantic 10 Rowing Championship.

Last season UD's Lightweight 8 was nationally ranked for the third consecutive season and won the A-10 Championship. The Flyers were tabbed to finish fourth in the upcoming A-10 championships.