April 16, 2000

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - On the final day of racing at the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships, the University of North Carolina crew was unable to capitalize on Saturday's success, finishing third in both the varsity eight and second varsity eight.

"We are definitely disappointed with the results," UNC coach Joel Furtek said. "We got two third place finishes, but we'd hoped to win both events."

In the varsity eight finals, UNC finished a close race just behind Tulsa and Clemson. The Tar Heels posted a time of 6:56.2, barely being edged by Tulsa's 6:53.1 and Clemson's 6:53.4. Purdue, Notre Dame and Jacksonville finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.

The UNC second varsity eight also posted a third place finish, bested by Clemson and Notre Dame. The Tar Heels' time of 7:17.3 was enough to finish well ahead of Tulsa, Purdue and Central Florida.

The UNC novices took home a ninth place overall finish after coming in third in the novice eight petite final. Coach Furtek was pleased with the novices' effort. "It was a tough weekend of racing, and they continue to learn," he said.

After this weekend's results, Furtek knows his team has work to do before the season is through. "This race shows us that we still have things to clean up technically," Furtek said. "We are still a crew in progress. We're trying to get all the pieces in place before the NCAA Central Region Championships in a month."

The Tar Heels next compete April 29 in the ACC Championship Regatta in Charlottesville, Va.