• The CSUS Aquatic Center on Lake Natoma in Rancho Cordova, Calif., is the site of the eighth NCAA Women''s Rowing National Championships this Friday-Sunday, May 28-30. Since the advent of the NCAA Women''s Rowing Championships in 1997, this year will mark the third time the CSUS Aquatic Center and Sacramento State have served as hosts (1997, 1999, 2004). Each of the Div. I, Div. II and Div. III championships will be held during the three-day regatta with the Div. III champion crowned on Saturday, and the Div. I and Div. II champions crowned on Sunday. The participating schools (16 Div. I schools, six Div. II schools, and six Div. III schools) received notice of their selections from the NCAA selections committee on May 11 (Div. III) and May 18 (Div. I and Div. II).

• The three-day regatta is set to begin at 8 a.m. on Friday with preliminary heats. Repechage heats (second-chance heats) will begin at 4 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday morning, Repechage heats run from 9 a.m. until 10:15 a.m. The Div. III petite final (11:15 a.m.) and grand final (11:30 a.m.) conclude Saturday''s racing with the Div. III national champion crowned at an awards ceremony scheduled for 12:15 p.m. A total of 10 races are featured on Sunday, beginning at 9:45 a.m. and running until noon. The varsity four championship will be decided at 10:45 a.m., followed by the second varsity eight grand final (11:15 a.m.) and varsity eight grand final (noon). The Div. II national champion will be announced at an awards ceremony at 11:30 a.m., while the Div. I national champion will be honored at an awards ceremony at 12:45 p.m.

• The Div. I category features a team championship comprised of 12 teams, each required to field a varsity eight, second varsity eight and varsity four boat. In addition, four at-large varsity eight boats from institutions not represented in the team competition are selected. However, the four at-large selections will not score points toward the team championship. The 12 Div. I teams are comprised of Brown, California, Harvard, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Princeton, Virginia, Washington, Washington State, Wisconsin and Yale. The four at-large varsity eight boats will come from the following institutions: Notre Dame, USC, Tennessee and Texas.

• Harvard is the defending Div. I national champion while Washington (1997-98, 2001) and Brown (1999-00, 2002) have combined for the other six Div. I championships. Brown, Princeton, Virginia and Washington are the only teams to reach the NCAA Championships all eight years. Finishing behind Harvard at last year''s NCAA Championships at Eagle Creek in Indianapolis were Brown, Washington, Michigan and Cal, respectively. Cal, who is currently ranked first in the nation, won the Pac-10 Championships on May 16 at Lake Natoma. The 2002 and 2003 seasons marked the first time there were separate national championships for Div. I, Div. II and Div. III. From 1997-01, all three divisions competed against each other with one national champion being crowned.

• The Div. II category features a team championship comprised of four teams, with each required to field a varsity eight and a varsity four. In addition, two at-large varsity eights from institutions not represented in the team competition were selected. The four institutions in the team competition are Western Washington (West Region), Barry (South Region), Mercyhurst College (East Region) and Humboldt State (At-Large Team). The two at-large eights are Florida Tech and Nova Southeastern. UC Davis has won both Div. II championships (2002, 2003), finishing ahead of Western Washington, Mercyhurst and Florida Tech last year. UC Davis moved to Div. I status this year and will not compete in the national championships in 2004. Western Washington finished as the runner-ups to UC Davis both years.

• The Div. III championships is comprised of six teams each required to field a varsity eight and second varsity eight. The following institutions will be represented: Trinity (Connecticut), Coast Guard, Ithaca, Puget Sound, Smith, and Williams. Colby won last year''s national championship, finishing ahead of Puget Sound, Ithaca, Coast Guard, Trinity and Wellesley, respectively. Williams was crowned champions in 2002.

Ticket Prices

Tickets for the 2004 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships can be obtained through the Sacramento State Ticket Office (916-278-2222) and at the CSUS Aquatic Center throughout the competition.

Three-Day Package

General Admission: $20

Sacramento State students with One Card/Seniors (60 and older)/Youth 2-13: $10

Friday, May 28

General Admission: $5

Sacramento State students with One Card/Seniors (60 and older)/Youth 2-13: $3

Saturday, May 29

General Admission: $10

Sacramento State students with One Card/Seniors (60 and older)/Youth 2-13: $5

Sunday, May 30

General Admission: $10

Sacramento State students with One Card/Seniors (60 and older)/Youth 2-13: $5

Directions to the Aquatic Center

The CSUS Aquatic Center is located off Hwy 50 in Rancho Cordova, Calif., approximately 13 miles east of the Sacramento State campus.

From Sacramento State

Take Highway 50 East to Hazel Ave. exit. Make a left on Hazel. You can the take your first right (into the Lake Natoma park side).

From the Bay Area

Take Interstate 80 East. Merge onto Highway 50 East (just before reaching Sacramento). Take the Hazel Ave. exit. (about 21 miles after merging onto Hwy 50). Make a left on Hazel. You can the take your first right (into the Lake Natoma park side).

From the Sacramento Airport

Take Interstate 5 South. Go about 10 miles before merging onto Highway 50 East. Go about 17 miles until taking the Hazel Ave. exit. Make a left on Hazel. You can the take your first right (into the Lake Natoma park side).

Practice Schedule

• Practice times for participating teams at the CSUS Aquatic Center are as follows: Wednesday, May 26 from 3-8 p.m.; Thursday, May 27 from 7 a.m.-noon and 2:30-4:30 p.m.; Friday, May 28 from 6-7 a.m. and 5-7:30 p.m.; Saturday, May 29 from 6-8 a.m. and 3-5 p.m.; Sunday, May 30 from 6:45-8:45 a.m. (Divisions I and II only).

Results

• Real-time results of the NCAA Rowing Championships can be accessed at:

http://www.jamcotimes.com/2004/ncaaw/index.htm

• At the conclusion of each day of racing, stories and complete results can be found at:

http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/wcrew/championship/results.asp

• Results will also be posted on the NCAA web page at www.ncaasports.com