U 19 tryouts will feature two Cardinals -- NCAA Rowing Selections today -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

EVANS, SHOOK HOPEFULS IN COLORADO


The 2017 USA Basketball Women's U19 World Cup Team trials begin Thursday out in Colorado Springs, CO and the University of Louisville WBB squad has two invitees out of the 33 women's who are looking to earn a spot on the 12 player roster. 

Incoming freshman Dana Evans is one of the participants. The high-scoring point guard out of West Side H.S. in Gary, IN. was a member of the 2016 U 18 team and will get an early chance to work with one of her future teammates in Kylee Shook...talented Louisville forward...who had an impressive 2016-2017 freshman season with the Cards. Shook will be returning home to compete in the trials...a graduate of Mesa Ridge (CO) high school. Shook reached double figures five times in the past season and will be the tallest returnee for the 2017-18 Cardinals WBB roster. 

They will be joined by some talented high school seniors and women who recently completed their freshmen seasons in NCAA competition. Women's basketball fans will recognize the names Gabby Cooper (Syracuse), Stephanie Jones (Maryland) Jocelyn Willoughby (Virginia), Crystal Dangerfield (UConn), and Joyner Holmes (Texas)...who are a few participants in the tryouts. 


We did try to reach Jeff Walz for a few comments about these tryouts, plus his U 23 team and the move to the YUM! Practice Facility this summer...but he is in ACC meetings today. If he does get the time to get back with us, we will add his comments and observations...so check back throughout the day to see if that happens. 

An interesting aspect of the selection process is that the coaches for the team and the selection committee are two separate entities. Chairing the selection committee is Jennifer Rizzotti (George Washington). She is joined by Kara Lawson (ex Washington Mystics and ESPN commentator), Karen Aston (Texas), Tonya Cardoza (Temple) and Wes Moore (NC State). 

The head coach for the squad is Suzie McConnell-Serio (Pittsburgh)...she'll be assisted by Kamie Ethridge (Northern Colorado) and Charlotte Smith (Elon). The tryouts run through Sunday and then the roster will be named. 

USA U 19 is a six-time defending gold medalist in the event. They'll seek to continue the streak July 22-30 in Cividale del Friull and Udine, Italy. 

Play hard, play well and good luck in Colorado Springs...Kylee and Dana !!


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ROWING AWAITS NCAA SELECTION SHOW

After a 5th place finish in the ACC Championships...the University of Louisville rowing team will await today's 5 p.m. Selection Show...that can be viewed at NCAA.com...  to see if they will get a bid to continue the season.  

The Cards participate in the South region, one of five regions in NCAA DI rowing. Louisville's "Fours" squad is ranked third in the region and in the coaches poll listing the top twenty teams...the Cards are getting "also receiving votes" recognition. 

Virginia has long been the top of the ACC Conference in women's rowing and is currently ranked 11th in the national standings. The PAC 12 seems to be the premier conference in D1 women's rowing...with three schools in the top ten and six schools in the top twenty.  

Sarah Podwojski, a junior out of Roswell, GA, was named to the All-ACC First team and junior Kirsti Harrison received second team honors. 

Rowing was first established at UofL in 1999, when athletic director Tom Jurich added the sport along with softball and women's golf to the UofL athletic teams roster. 

Good luck to the "stroke in the boat" Cards! 

Here's a "blast from the past" about the Kentucky state rowing championships: 

 For the first time in the program's brief history, U of L competed in front of its home crowd last year when it raced against Murray State University in the 2002 Kentucky State Championship. The two squads raced on the Ohio River between Six Mile Island and the Jeffersonville, Ind., shoreline. The Cardinals overcame a boat-length deficit in the final 500 meters to win the Novice 4+ race by half a second. Unfortunately, due to un-rowable waters caused by torrential rains the previous week, the remaining three races had to be canceled as the water became too choppy. A sold-out crowd of 325+ spectators were able to cheer the teams on aboard the Spirit of Jefferson, which was stationed near the finish line. The new tradition will continue this season as the two schools (the only two collegiate programs in the state) will compete for the title of State Champs on Sunday, April 27th at the same location. 325+ spectators watched U of L and Murray State at the Kentucky State Championship, the Cardinals’ first-ever home race.



paulie
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