MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College's women are heading to the 2011 NCAA Division III Rowing Championship. The announcement came Tuesday (May 10) afternoon during a live selection show webcast on http://ncaa.com. [Watch the Selection Show]

The championship will be held May 27-29 at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center in Gold River, Calif. It is comprised of six teams and each team is required to field two boats of eight rowers and a coxswain. Two at-large Eights also are selected.

The Pioneers, under the direction of fourth-year Head Coach Kelly Harris, will represent the Mid-Atlantic Region as one of the two at-large varsity eights within a 14-boat field.
 
Marietta's varsity 8+, the 2011 Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference champions, will make its first ever NCAA Division III Championship appearance in 2011. The Pioneers also rowed in the 1999 NCAA Championship when it was an event that combined NCAA Division I, II and III teams into one category. The championship was split into three championships and by division in 2002.

Coxswain #Megan Oxley (Clarksburg, N.J./Allentown)#, stroke #Kelli Barnette (Parkersburg, W.Va./South)#, #Abigail Klicker (Avalon Borough, Pa./Northgate)#, #Anja Curwen (Carlisle Pa./St. Bouaventure)#, #Natalie Gravelsins (Eastlake/Eastlake North)#, #Taryn Wilson (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa)#, #Trisha Wendel (Chagrin Falls/Kenston)#, #Katherine Tedesco (Upper Arlington/Upper Arlington)# and bow #Alyse McNeill (Pittsburgh, Pa./Shaler Area)# will go head-to-head with five-time defending national champion Williams as well as Bates, Ithaca, Trinity (Conn.), Wellesley, William Smith and fellow at-large Puget Sound.