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NEW LONDON, CONN.—(5/15/07)—For the fourth time in the last five years, the United States Coast Guard Academy Women’s Varsity Eight has been selected to compete in the NCAA Division III Women’s Rowing Championships on May 25-26 at Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The University of Tennessee will serve as the host.

The championships are comprised of six teams and each team is required to field two boats of eight rowers and a coxswain. In addition to the teams, two at-large Eights are also selected. The schools represented by teams this year include Williams, Bates, Ithaca, Puget Sound, Trinity (Connecticut), and William Smith. The at-large eights are the Coast Guard Academy and Mary Washington.

The Bears return to the NCAA Championships after earning three straight berths in 2003, 2004 and 2005. In 2003, the Bears Varsity Eight captured the bronze and the team brought home the NCAA 4th place finish team trophy. In 2004 and 2005 the Bears finished 5th and 8th respectively.

This year’s invitation represents a special accomplishment for the team according to head coach Steve Hargis. “With only 278 women at the Academy to draw from and be able to compete on the national level with such highly regarded rowing powers that will be competing this year, is nothing short of spectacular,” said Hargis. “Our entire team is such an amazing group of women and takes a lot of pride in what they have been able to achieve this year.”

The Varsity 8 competing at Oak Ridge will be seniors Christy Davis, Heidi Schmidt and Kelly Haupt, juniors Lauren Milici, Emily Holt, Adriana Knies and Sarah Southard along with sophomores Maggie Ward and Sarah Thompson. The spares are junior Shannon McElroy and sophomore Alyssa VanDelden.

Davis, Schmidt and Haupt will graduate on Wednesday afternoon and leave for the NCAA Championships on Thursday, the rest of the team will leave for Tennessee on Wednesday.