Oct. 13, 2004

UD rowing coach Geoff Dillard is optimistic that the 2004-05 season will be a bright one for the Flyers at all levels of their rowing program, which finished fifth at last season's Atlantic 10 Championships in the overall team competition.

Coach, How will last year's success transfer over to the 2004-05 season? We ended the 2003-04 season on a pretty good note and we have a great nucleus of girls coming back for the 2004-05 season. We have one of our most experienced team's ever with 11 seniors. We also have a very talented sophomore class that is moving up from last year's novice squad which had a good showing at the Atlantic 10 Championships. Our lightweight eight has the ability to improve upon last years ranking of 15th in the US Rowing Coach's Poll and make a run at an A-10 Championship this Spring.

What will be the team's focus this fall? Right now our challenge is to mix in the sophomores and the freshmen with the juniors and seniors. We have a lot of talent and now our focus will be to find the right combinations. This Fall we look to increase our learning curves and be in sync by the end of the Fall. Then we will use our winter training to get into top shape and hopefully hit the water in the Spring right where we need to be.

How will the schedule help to prepare the team for the Atlantic 10 Championships? We will continue to race against Cincinnati and Indiana both in the Fall and Spring. They are both solid programs and are a great challenge for us. We will be sending a varsity eight to he Head of the Charles, where we will be able to gauge how our top eight girls stack up against a very strong and deep field of competitors. Head of the Tennessee will be our first competition for the Novice squad and we will use that opportunity to get a look at their potential.

What are the team goals for UD rowing in 2004-05? Our main goal is the Atlantic 10 Championships where we look to improve upon last year's fifth place finish. We were just four points shy of third place last season so we were in the mix. We will need a complete team effort and nothing less to be able to reach our goal.