May 17, 2002

Indianapolis, IN --The Marist College Men's Varsity Eight Crew, which captured the Avaya Championships on May 12th, is ranked 16th in the nation in the May 16th US Collegiate Coaches Rowing Poll. The Red Foxes are tied with Boston University in the 16th slot, having both received 56 points, nearly triple the point total Marist received in last weeks poll. It is the second time this spring that the Varsity Eight has earned a national Top-20 ranking in the nation.

Three teams that Marist has beaten already this season also rank in the top-20 of the most recent poll. Michigan, who the Red Foxes have beaten twice, are the 20th ranked crew in the nation, while Georgetown ranks 18th in the nation, and fell to Marist at the Avaya Championships. Dowling College, which the Varsity Eight defeated on its way to winning the Knecht Cup, ranks 14th in the nation, with the crew from Stanford sitting in the 15th spot in the poll. Heading the list is the University of Washington, followed by University of California at Berkeley, with Harvard earning the number three ranking. Colgate University also received votes in the poll after Marist defeated them at the Avaya Regatta.

The Men's Varsity Eight victory at the Avaya Championships helped the Marist men to a second place overall team finish and the Red Foxes to a third place overall combined men's and women's finish. Marist has notched wins at the President's Cup in Poughkeepsie, NY, the Knecht Cup in Cherry Hill, NJ, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships in Orchard Beach Lagoon, NY, and the Lake Onota Invitational in Lake Onota, NY, as well as at Avaya and the Knecht Cup.

The Marist College men's rowing team returns to action on Thursday, May 30th, as they travel to Cherry Hill, NJ, to compete at the International Rowing Association (IRA) Regatta, which runs through June 1st. At last year's championship, the Varsity Eight finished 15th out of 24 boats.