April 18, 2008

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The North Carolina rowing team will battle for the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Saturday at Lake Hartwell in Clemson, S.C. All six ACC teams will be on hand as the ninth conference title is contested.

The morning's racing opens with the varsity four at 9 a.m. The novice eight will follow at 9:20 with the second varsity eight at 9:40 and the varsity eight at 10.

Virginia, which has won all eight previous conference titles, is seeded first in each race, while host Clemson is No. 2 across the board. UNC is seeded third in the novice eight and fifth in the varsity eight, second varsity eight and varsity four. Also racing are Boston College, Duke and Miami.

In addition to the ACC title, UNC and Duke will be battling for a point in the Carlyle Cup battle, the annual competition between the two schools. The rowing point will be awarded based on which team finishes higher in overall standings on Saturday. The Tar Heels currently lead the race 16-5, with additional points up for grabs this weekend in men's and women's golf and men's and women's track and field.

Following Saturday's action, UNC will have nearly a month off from racing before competing in the Central/South Region Sprints, hosted by the University of Tennessee in Oak Ridge, Tenn., on May 17-18.