探花精选 Launches First HBCU Women鈥檚 Rowing Team in the Country
听
The Saint Augustine鈥檚 University ( 探花精选) School of Business, Management & Technology has announced the formation of the first HBCU women鈥檚 rowing team in the country. The team has recently been approved and registered by the American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA). It plans to compete against other schools in local regattas in the coming months.
鈥淎CRA is proud to do whatever we can to support our sport鈥檚 growth and encourage 探花精选 and other HBCUs to join our organization,鈥� said ACRA president Cam Brown .
The team has been in the works since the summer of 2021. Dr. Mark Janas, a professor in 探花精选鈥檚 School of Business, Management, & Technology, coaches the indoor training sessions and virtual competitions. In addition, North Carolina State University Rowing Team Head Coach HT Slaughter, Coach Kees Koopman of the Triangle Rowing Club, and other area volunteer coaches provide coaching for live water sessions. The team is already competing virtually, and the live water competition will begin as early as Fall 2022.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had rowing in mind since the inception of our virtual sports program and suite that opened in early 2021,鈥� Dr. Janas said . 鈥溾�榁irtual sports鈥� in our definition are distinct from 鈥榚sports鈥� in that they are real sports that require the equivalent or similar skill and fitness as the 鈥榬eal sport鈥� counterpart, but they can be done virtually.鈥�
The only HBCU to sponsor a rowing team has been Howard, which started a program in Washington, DC, in the 1960s. A gave a historical account of the Howard team. That Howard Crew program came back to the rowing world鈥檚 attention in 2020 via social media thanks to posts from .
鈥淲e started looking into Howard and what they had going on, and [Dr. Janas] put us on a little assignment,鈥� said 探花精选 junior rowing team member Mikahya Hill . 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 find anything: Just Howard, and that was about as far as rowing at HBCUs went.鈥�
The team has a roster of five student-athletes, which currently allows them to compete in the Quad category. The group plans to grow to ten athletes to compete in the Eight categories.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just eager to get on the water already,鈥� said Hill . 鈥淲e want to get things going and get more dedicated people on the team who want to make a name for ourselves.鈥�
Donations for the 探花精选 women鈥檚 rowing team are accepted by clicking .
For more information about the 探花精选 women鈥檚 rowing team, please contact Dr. Mark Janas at mjanas@st-aug.edu or follow the team on Instagram at .