CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Members of the Virginia rowing team compete Sunday in Chicago, Ill., at the Blue Island Challenge. In a 5K race beginning at 9 a.m., Cristine Candland, Lauren Shook, Helen Tompkins, Lauren Hutchins, Amanda Chase, Desiree Burns, Augusta Stratos, Marie Long and Claudia Blandford will race against Michigan State, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota and Notre Dame.

The top four times in the morning race will advance to a 2K competition in the afternoon.

Last weekend, the rowing team opened its fall season with a successful day at the Princeton Chase. In the varsity eight, Virginia “A” finished with a time of 15:15.4, good for a third-place finish, but was penalized along with Yale “A” and Brown “A” for going on the wrong side of a buoy. Therefore, Virginia’s official time became 15:35.4 and the crew finished in seventh place.

Virginia “B” finished in fifth place with a time of 15:24.5 in the varsity eight, and Virginia “D” finished 20th with a time of 16:19.9 and Virginia “C” finished 24th with a time of 16:24.8. There were 44 entries in the race.

In varsity four, Virginia “A” had a second-place finish with a time of 17:24.3, and was edged by Princeton “A” with a time of 17:01.9. In that race, Virginia “C” came in fourth place with a time of 17:34.4 and Virginia “B” finished 37th with a time of 19:19.1. There were 44 boats in the varsity four race.

The Virginia novices finished second and seventh in that race. Virginia “A” had a time of 16:38.9 and finished second to Yale with a time of 16:07.4, while Virginia “B” had a time of 17:29.2 in seventh place.

The Blue Island Challenge marks the second of five fall events for Virginia rowing. The novices face George Washington and Georgetown next Saturday, Nov. 8, in Charlottesville, Va., as the fall season continues.