The Central Oklahoma women's rowing program has announced its spring racing
schedule, including trips to Florida, California, and Tennessee.  In addition, the program will host a day of Division II duels on the Oklahoma River.
 
The lineup of six regatta dates begins near home as the Bronchos will participate in the Oklahoma Invitational this weekend.  As the lone representative of Division II, UCO will face the likes of Kansas, Kansas State, and Tulsa.
 
During last year's Invite, the Bronchos collected wins over Creighton, Southern Methodist and Oklahoma City University.  Racing will span morning and evening sessions on Saturday, and then conclude with morning racing on Sunday.
 
“I'm very excited about this spring's racing schedule,” head coach Andy Derrick said.  “We feel we have as competitive of schedule as any team in the country with several great opportunities against very challenging opponents.
 
“With a very difficult season opener facing a strong Big-12 and C-USA field we need to hit the spring season running and get off on the right foot.  The team knows we have the potential to do well, but spring is about turning potential into actual speed.”
 
Central will then travel to Orlando, Fla., for a week-long spring training trip on Lake Pickett.  After gaining valuable practice time, the Bronchos will race South Region rivals Florida Tech, Barry and Nova Southeastern on March 23 along Canal 54 in Melbourne, Fla.
 
“I'm really excited to get the team down to Florida for spring training,” assistant coach Amy Jantzen said.   “It's a great environment for them to be productive because we're coming off of our first race so they all have a taste of what spring racing will look like and there are no distractions with the training.
 
“At the end of the training week we face off with our regional rivals in a duel-style round robin format.  For the most part, this will be the only time we face some of these teams so they carry a lot of weight as these races will be heavily used
to determine NCAA invites at the end of the year.”
 
After returning to Oklahoma for two weeks, the team will travel to California for the San Diego Crew Classic the weekend of April 6-7.  The Bronchos will look to improve upon their 2012 performance there after finishing second to eventual national champion Humboldt State.
 
“The San Diego Crew Classic will be a significant opportunity for us,” Derrick said.  “We will look to improve upon our second-place finish last year against defending national champion Humboldt State.  We're also very excited to be bringing our Varsity 4+ for the first time in an effort to really push our whole team rather than just one boat.
The weekend of April 20-21 will feature UCO's return to Oak Ridge, Tenn. for the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships on Melton Hill Lake.  Racing will include competition with South and East region challengers, along with numerous Division I teams in the region.
 
During their 2012 visit, both of Central's top entries won their petite final.
 
“SIRAs is a great regatta for the team because of the format of racing and the large number of teams in attendance,” Jantzen said.  “Each boat will get several trips down the race course with heats, semifinals, and finals facing teams from across the country.
 
This is great experience as they get a lot of races under their belt in one weekend and they can make small adjustments as needed to perfect their race plan and execution.”
.
The following weekend the Bronchos will take part in a local tri-meet with Oklahoma City and Wichita State on the Oklahoma River.
 
Racing on home water, the Bronchos will get their first chance to race against cross-town rival OCU, while also taking on a solid squad from Wichita State.
 
“This is always a fun race for us as we get to race our local rivals at home,” Jantzen said.  “It's nice for the girls to have a home race that their family can come watch, and this is also the last race of the season for a lot of the younger
girls on the team.
 
“It's a great home event to have mid-season when we have been traveling on the road as much as we have.”
 
For the first time in program history, UCO will host a Division II duel in Oklahoma City, taking on Seattle Pacific  the weekend of May 18. Racing will occur along the Oklahoma River in the Boathouse District.
 
“Seattle Pacific coming to Oklahoma in May will mark the first time we host a Division II team,” Derrick said.  “We're excited to host and showcase our unique venue and hopefully good speed right before the Selection Show the following Monday.”
 
Looking to build off of last year's at-large bid to compete at the NCAA Division II National Championships, UCO hopes to gain a team bid to this year's championships, set for May 31-June 2 in Indianapolis. 
 The Central Oklahoma women's rowing program has announced its spring racing schedule, including trips to Florida, California, and Tennessee.  In addition, the program will host a day of Division II duels on the Oklahoma River.
 
The lineup of six regatta dates begins near home as the Bronchos will participate in the Oklahoma Invitational this weekend.  As the lone representative of Division II, UCO will face the likes of Kansas, Kansas State, and Tulsa.
 
During last year's Invite, the Bronchos collected wins over Creighton, Southern Methodist and Oklahoma City University.  Racing will span morning and evening sessions on Saturday, and then conclude with morning racing on Sunday.
 
“I'm very excited about this spring's racing schedule,” head coach Andy Derrick said.  “We feel we have as competitive of schedule as any team in the country with several great opportunities against very challenging opponents.
 
“With a very difficult season opener facing a strong Big-12 and C-USA field we need to hit the spring season running and get off on the right foot.  The team knows we have the potential to do well, but spring is about turning potential into actual speed.”
 
Central will then travel to Orlando, Fla., for a week-long spring training trip on Lake Pickett.  After gaining valuable practice time, the Bronchos will race South Region rivals Florida Tech, Barry and Nova Southeastern on March 23 along Canal 54 in Melbourne, Fla.
 
“I'm really excited to get the team down to Florida for spring training,” assistant coach Amy Jantzen said.   “It's a great environment for them to be productive because we're coming off of our first race so they all have a taste of what spring racing will look like and there are no distractions with the training.
 
“At the end of the training week we face off with our regional rivals in a duel-style round robin format.  For the most part, this will be the only time we face some of these teams so they carry a lot of weight as these races will be heavily used to determine NCAA invites at the end of the year.”
 
After returning to Oklahoma for two weeks, the team will travel to California for the San Diego Crew Classic the weekend of April 6-7.  The Bronchos will look to improve upon their 2012 performance there after finishing second to eventual national champion Humboldt State.
 
“The San Diego Crew Classic will be a significant opportunity for us,” Derrick said.  “We will look to improve upon our second-place finish last year against defending national champion Humboldt State.  We're also very excited to be bringing our Varsity 4+ for the first time in an effort to really push our whole team rather than just one boat.

The weekend of April 20-21 will feature UCO's return to Oak Ridge, Tenn. for the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association championships on Melton Hill Lake.  Racing will include competition with South and East region challengers, along with numerous Division I teams in the region.
 
During their 2012 visit, both of Central's top entries won their petite final.
 
“SIRAs is a great regatta for the team because of the format of racing and the large number of teams in attendance,” Jantzen said.  “Each boat will get several trips down the race course with heats, semifinals, and finals facing teams from across the country.
 
This is great experience as they get a lot of races under their belt in one weekend and they can make small adjustments as needed to perfect their race plan and execution.”
.
The following weekend the Bronchos will take part in a local tri-meet with Oklahoma City and Wichita State on the Oklahoma River.
 
Racing on home water, the Bronchos will get their first chance to race against cross-town rival OCU, while also taking on a solid squad from Wichita State.
 
“This is always a fun race for us as we get to race our local rivals at home,” Jantzen said.  “It's nice for the girls to have a home race that their family can come watch, and this is also the last race of the season for a lot of the younger
girls on the team.
 
“It's a great home event to have mid-season when we have been traveling on the road as much as we have.”
 
For the first time in program history, UCO will host a Division II duel in Oklahoma City, taking on Seattle Pacific  the weekend of May 18. Racing will occur along the Oklahoma River in the Boathouse District.
 
“Seattle Pacific coming to Oklahoma in May will mark the first time we host a Division II team,” Derrick said.  “We're excited to host and showcase our unique venue and hopefully good speed right before the Selection Show the following Monday.”
 
Looking to build off of last year's at-large bid to compete at the NCAA Division II National Championships, UCO hopes to gain a team bid to this year's championships, set for May 31-June 2 in Indianapolis.