Weekly Release #4

Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, April 16 -- vs. Iowa, Wisconsin (Belleville, Mich.)
Saturday, April 9 -- Big Ten Championships (Bloomington, Ind.)

Michigan This Week
The No. 2-ranked Michigan women's rowing team wraps up its regular season with a pair of events with Iowa and No. 14 Wisconsin this Saturday (April 16) in Belleville, Mich. The Wolverines and Hawkeyes will begin the day with morning racing at 9 a.m. In the afternoon, U-M and the Badgers will meet starting at 1 p.m. Joining U-M, Iowa and UW on Belleville Lake will be Michigan State. The Spartans will only race the Wolverines in the second novice eight and second novice four races. MSU will be racing Wisconsin in the morning and Iowa in the afternoon.

Schedule of Events

Michigan, Wisconsin	Novice Four	8:50 a.m.
Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin	Second Novice Eight	9 a.m.
Michigan State, Wisconsin	First Novice Eight	9:10 a.m.
Michigan, Iowa	First Novice Eight	9:20 a.m.
Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin	Second Varsity Four	9:30 a.m.
Michigan State, Wisconsin	First Varsity Four	9:40 a.m.
Michigan, Iowa	First Varsity Four	9:50 a.m.
Michigan State, Wisconsin	Second Varsity Eight	10 a.m.
Michigan, Iowa	Second Varsity Eight	10:10 a.m.
Michigan State, Wisconsin	First Varsity Eight	10:20 a.m.
Michigan, Iowa	First Varsity Eight	10:30 a.m.

Michigan, Wisconsin	Novice Four	12:50 p.m.
Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin	Second Novice Eight	1 p.m.
Michigan State, Iowa	First Novice Eight	1:10 p.m.
Michigan, Wisconsin	First Novice Eight	1:20 p.m.
Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin	Second Varsity Four	1:30 p.m.
Michigan State, Iowa	First Varsity Four	1:40 p.m.
Michigan, Wisconsin	First Varsity Four	1:50 p.m.
Michigan State, Iowa	Second Varsity Eight	2 p.m.
Michigan, Wisconsin	Second Varsity Eight	2:10 p.m.
Michigan State, Iowa	First Varsity Eight	2:20 p.m.
Michigan, Wisconsin	First Varsity Eight	2:30 p.m.

Coach Mark Rothstein Says...
"We'll see some fast crews in Iowa and Wisconsin coming to Belleville. I think the team understands that it needs to continue to improve in order to be successful as we move into the postseason."

Matt the Meteorologist
The forecast for Saturday in Belleville, Mich., is sunny with a high of 62 degrees. Winds are expected at eight miles per hour from the southeast.

On Iowa
The Hawkeyes are led by 11th-year head coach Mandi Kowal. Last week, Iowa struggled as it lost all five of its races against Minnesota in Solon, Iowa. The first varsity eight lost by just over one second, while the second varsity eight was defeated by nearly three boath lengths and the first varsity four finished 25 seconds off the Gophers' pace. Iowa on the Web: www.hawkeyesports.com.

On Wisconsin
The No. 14-ranked Badgers are guided by Bebe Bryans, who is in her first year at Wisconsin after spending seven seasons at Michigan State. UW spent last weekend at the Windemere Collegiate Crew Classic in Redwood Shores, Calif. The Badgers faced three ranked opponents in No. 5 California, No. 10 Stanford and No. 11 Washington. The Wisconsin first varsity eight was defeated in all three races and the second varsity eight posted wins over Stanford and Washington. Wisconsin on the Web: www.uwbadgers.com.

Last Week Against Michigan State and Brown
On April 9 in Columbus, Ohio, the Wolverines dominated Michigan State en route to clinching the Pontiac Challenge Cup point for rowing. Using the Big Ten Conference Championships scoring system, U-M defeated MSU 19-4. The first varsity eight (6:25.1, +1.8) and second varsity eight (6:39.0, +2.9) each earned wins over the Spartans to earn nine and six points, respectively. The first varsity four dropped its race in a time of 7:39.2, as did the second novice eight. U-M's second varsity four earned one point with its win over MSU and the first novice eight picked up three more points.

Later in the day, U-M's first varsity eight continued its outstanding spring with a hard-fought win over Brown (6:45.2, +5.9). Despite the spread out finishing times, U-M went back and forth with Brown through 1,500 meters of the race. The second varsity eight did not fare as well as it lost by open water to the Bears (7:04.6, -8.6). The first varsity four defeated Rutgers in its race since Brown did not bring a four to Columbus. Michigan's second varsity four was victorious again, while the first and second novice eights lost their races.

Two-Time Big Ten Boat of the Week
Thanks to its sweep of Michigan State and Brown, Michigan's first varsity eight received the Big Ten Conference's Boat of the Week award for the second straight week on April 11. the Wolverines last won back-to-back Big Ten Boat of the Week awards in 2003 when U-M's first varsity eight won three in a row. The first varsity eight boat (from stern to bow) was comprised of coxwain Tara Medina (Mill Bay, B.C.), Sarah Trowbridge (Guilford, Conn.), Crystal Culp (Fonthill, Ontario), Leah Ketcheson (Belleville, Ontario), Janine Hanson (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Cristin McCarty (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan), Emily Shea (Shelburne Falls, Mass.), Brett Sickler (Los Gatos, Calif.) and Stesha Carl (Long Beach, Calif.).

Veteran Leadership
Michigan's first varsity eight returns five rowers and its coxswain from its 2004 squad that finished third at the NCAA Championships in Sacramento, Calif. The veterans include seniors Tara Medina, Leah Ketcheson, Crystal Culp and Brett Sickler; and juniors Stesha Carl and Janine Hanson.

Head Coach Mark Rothstein
Mark Rothstein is in his ninth year as the head coach of the Michigan rowing team. Rothstein, the only head coach in the program's history, has guided the Maize and Blue to the NCAA Championships for seven straight seasons. In 2003, Rothstein guided the first varsity eight to a runner-up finish, its best ever showing, at the NCAA Championships en route to a fourth-place team finish. At the 2001 NCAA Championships, U-M had a school-best second-place finish, highlighted by a national boat title by the second varsity eight. He has led the team to four of the five Big Ten Conference championships (2000, '01, '03, '04). In 2000, '01 and '04 he was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year. He was the Central Region Coach of the Year in 2000 and '01. For his efforts during the 2001 season, he was selected as the National Coach of the Year.

Probable Lineups
Based on last week's boat assignments

First Varsity Eight -- Tara Medina (coxswain), Sarah Trowbridge, Crystal Culp, Leah Ketcheson, Janine Hanson, Cristin McCarty, Emily Shea, Brett Sickler, Stesha Carle.