West Windsor, N.J. - The Robert Morris University women's rowing team, participating in its first conference championship in school history, tied for fifth at the 2012 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships Saturday at Lake Mercer.

The Colonials finished with 13 points, tying with Canisius.

Drake claimed the 2012 team title by compiling 33 points, followed by Marist (31), Jacksonville (19) and Fairfield (17). Institutions that did not score at the 2012 MAAC Championships included Iona, Loyola (Md.), Manhattan and Sacred Heart.

Garnering points in three races, RMU posted eight points in the II Eights, three points in the I Eights and a pair of points in the Varsity Four race.

In the II Eights sprint, Robert Morris posted a time of 7:49.6 to earn third place. Marist won the race with a time of 7:18.3, followed by Drake at 7:22.4. The Red Foxes earned 12 points for winning, while RMU earned six.

The Colonials took home fifth in the varsity four with a time of 9:20.6, a race that was won by Fairfield with a final mark of 8:12.1. The Stags took home six points for their win.

In the I Eights, Robert Morris posted a time of 8:00.6 to finish sixth.

In the novice division, the Colonials had a pair of boats compete in the novice four, with the "A" boat finishing fourth thanks to a time of 8:34.8, while the "B" boat claimed sixth at 9:11.4. In the novice eight, RMU earned sixth place thanks to a time of 8:10.8.

Robert Morris also had a pair of boats participate in the Open 4 competition, with the first boat posting a time of 7:49.0 to finish second behind Marist (7:33.0) in Event 12 of the afternoon. RMU's second boat posted a time of 9:02.4 to earn sixth in Event 13 at Lake Windsor.

In addition, a total of six Colonials were named to the 2012 All-MAAC All-Academic Team. To be eligible for the honor, a student-athlete must complete two semesters at their institution and hold a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.20 on a 4.00 scale.

Earning the accolade for Robert Morris were senior Chelsea Thornton (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Carrick), juniors Mackenzie Chambers (Auburn Hills, Mich. / Berkley), Gretchen Gailey (Beaver, Pa. / Beaver Area) and Jamie Witsch (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Catholic) and sophomores Rebecca Cole (Glenville, Pa. / Christian School of York) and Megan Coleman (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Northgate).

The Colonials return to the water in two weeks for their final regatta of the 2012 campaign by taking part in the prestigious Dad Vail, which takes place Saturday, May 12, and Sunday, May 13, in Philadelphia, Pa.