April 17, 2008

With strong showings from its Varsity 8 boat this spring, the Dayton Flyers head to the Atlantic 10 Women's Rowing Championship and are looking to improve upon last year's fifth place finish.

The 13th annual Atlantic 10 Women's Rowing Championship will take place on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, N.J., on Saturday, April 19.

First year head coach Derek Copeland leads a UD squad that has participated in three spring events this season. UD's Varsity 8 won at Dayton and in Washington D.C. and put up a strong showing at Indiana.

At the Washington Regatta, Dayton's Varsity 8 beat George Mason by 3.2 seconds with a time of 7:16.0. Later in the day they edged out George Washington by .83 seconds with a time of 6:55.5. The Second Varsity 8 also won its race against George Mason by six seconds with a time of 7:28.7.

Earlier this year the Flyers were picked to finish fourth overall in the Atlantic 10. Last year Dayton took fifth place overall with a total of 20 team points.

However, the A-10 Championship will be a tough challenge for the Flyers to win. Massachusetts has won each of the previous 121 team titles - the longest Championship winning streak in any A-10 sport in league history.

The Championship begins at 8 a.m. ET with trials on Saturday on the Cooper River in Pennsauken, N.J. Finals will commence at approximately 11:50 a.m. ET.

Competing in this year's Atlantic 10 Championship are Dayton, Duquesne, Fordham, George Washington, La Salle, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Saint Joseph's and Temple.