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Nov. 2, 2012

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma rowing team closes its fall season this weekend at the Head of the Hooch in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Nov. 3-4. The Sooners will race 10 boats in four events on the Tennessee River.

In its 31st year, the Head of the Hooch is the second-largest regatta in the country. Over 1,600 crews will compete in 83 races at the two-day event. OU will race two boats in the championship eight, championship four and novice eight events on Saturday and four boats in the open pair event on Sunday.

"We're looking forward to racing a very competitive field this weekend," said head coach Leeanne Crain. "The team has been working hard in practice and we've had some lineup changes based on individual improvement on the ergs. We're hoping to see some good results on the water to close out the competitive fall season."

Oklahoma's competition will include Big 12 rivals Texas and Kansas in addition to Clemson, Ohio State, Tennessee, Tulsa and Oklahoma City University.

The Sooners begin racing Saturday at 11:24 a.m. CT in the Women's Championship 8+ event. OU will race two boats against 28 other crews.

Racing continues with the Women's College and Club Novice 8+ race at 2:45 p.m., where two OU crews will race in a 51-boat field of first-year rowers. Saturday's racing for Oklahoma closes with the Women's Championship 4+ at 4:07 p.m. Two Sooner boats will race against 36 other crews.

Sunday's lone race for OU is the Women's Open 2- at 10:21 a.m. Four Oklahoma pairs, comprised primarily of members from Oklahoma's first varsity eight, will compete in a field of 52 crews.

Oklahoma's fall season, a precursor to the championship spring season, is dominated by head races. Head races, including the Head of the Hooch, are time-trial races, where rowers race against the clock. The boat with the fastest time in their event is considered the winner.

The Sooners have had three other races this fall. The season opened with the Head of the Oklahoma Sept. 29-30 on the Oklahoma River where OU won six medals, had nine top-five finishes and 14 top-10 finishes while racing 17 boats in five events. The fall continued at the Head of the Charles in Boston on Oct. 21, where OU's varsity eight finished 23rd among 40 crews at the world's largest two-day rowing event. OU's novice raced to a first-place finish at the Head of the Colorado on Oct. 27.

The spring season opens with the Sooners hosting the OU Invitational on March 9-10 on the Oklahoma River. OU will have three more races before competing in the Big 12 and Conference USA championships.

Live results from Chattanooga will be available on HeadoftheHooch.com. For results and behind-the-scenes updates on the Sooners, follow @SoonerRowing on Twitter.

OU's Expected Lineups