News

CAPE COD, Mass. - Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Commissioner Rudy Keeling announced today that Brown University has earned the 2009 ECAC Turfer Athletic Rowing Trophy. It is the third consecutive year that the Bears have won the ECAC Turfer Athletic Rowing Trophy.

The ECAC Turfer Athletic Rowing Trophy is given annually to the ECAC college or university men's and women's rowing programs that best demonstrate the core values of the ECAC (tradition, diversity, and service), and the values of Turfer Athletic (determination, perseverance, resilience, and commitment). The award is based on the total overall performance of the team's varsity, second varsity, and novice eights at the EARC and EAWRC Sprints, including men's heavyweight and lightweight entries, and women's open weight entries.

The Bears will receive the trophy on Tuesday, October 6, at the ECAC Honors Luncheon presented by Jostens. The luncheon will be held at The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis, Massachusetts during the 2009 ECAC Fall Convention and Trade Show. Previous recipients include Harvard University/Radcliffe College (2002, 2004), Princeton University (2003, 2005), Trinity College (2006) and Brown University (2007, 2008).

The Brown men's rowing team led by head coach Paul Cooke turned in a completely dominating performance at the 64th Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (EARC) Sprints. The Bears won all five events that they were entered in, and captured the overall points trophy and the Ivy League title in the process. The league championship is the second in a row for the Bears. In the novice eight race, Harvard was nearly able to match Bruno's effort, but came up just short, coming in .6 seconds behind. Brown finished at 5:58.2 to take the Kenneth Burns Trophy, while the Crimson crossed the line in 5:58.8. The Brown second varsity took the Richard Glenden Cup with a time of 5:47.3, easily outdistancing Wisconsin, who finished second in 5:51.3. The varsity eight race was more dramatic as the Bears were down three seats to Harvard with 400 meters to go. However, Brown managed to make a tremendous sprint, suddenly taking seats on the Crimson with seemingly remarkable ease. Brown went on to win by two seats, taking the Worcester Cup with a time of 5:41.4, as Harvard finished a close second at 5:42.6.

At the 36^th Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges (EAWRC) Sprints, the Brown women finished second in the team standings behind only Yale. The day was highlighted by an impressive win from the second varsity eight, which crossed the line five seconds in front of the field. Brown's varsity eight took fourth in an extremely tough final, while the novice eight won a silver medal. The Bears showed the depth of the program as all six of its entries advanced to the grand finals. In the novice eight race, Brown found itself in third place coming into the final 500 meters, trailing second place Cornell by half a length. However, the Bears kicked in with a tremendous sprint, taking seats back with each stroke, and managed to edge in front of the Big Red just before the finish line to take second. Yale won with a time of 6:42.6, while Brown and Cornell finished neck-and-neck at 6:47.1 and 6:47.6. The Brown second varsity had a much easier race, winning handily, as the boat crossed the line in 6:34.2. Yale held off a late charge from Radcliffe to finish second at 6:39.7. In the varsity eight race, Brown was unable to push onto the medal dock, finishing fourth in 6:26.9 after a solid sprint to edge out Dartmouth. Yale won the race, finishing at 6:21.9. Radcliffe was second at 6:22.8, while Princeton took third at 6:23.5.

About Turfer Athletic
For more than 40 years Turfer Athletic has developed a reputation for excellence that makes it unique among sports apparel companies. It has been a Turfer tradition to provide the most innovative and authentic product in the industry. Our management team has three generations of manufacturing and textile experience. This powerful combination of manufacturing and marketing experience offers solutions to your apparel needs that are unparalleled in the industry.

About the ECAC^®
The ECAC is the nation's largest athletic and the only multi-divisional conference in the country with more than 300 Divisions I, II, and III colleges and universities.  The ECAC stretches from Maine to North Carolina and westerly to Illinois. Established in 1938, the ECAC, a non-profit service organization, sponsors nearly 100 championships in 37 men's and women's sports and assigns more than 4,400 officials in 12 sports.  The ECAC also administers nine affiliate sports organizations and six playing leagues, and through the public relations arm of the conference, more than 2,500 student-athletes in 23 sports are recognized annually.  Finally, the ECAC serves as the primary conference for select members in the sports of men's and women's ice hockey and men's lacrosse.