Weekly Release #5
4/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, April 30 -- at Big Ten Championships (Bloomington, Ind.)
Sat-Sun., May 14-15 -- at Central Region Championships (Oak Ridge, Tenn.)
Michigan This Week
The No. 3-ranked Michigan rowing team begins its postseason at the Big Ten Conference Women's Rowing Championships Saturday (April 30) on Lake Lemon in Bloomington, Ind. The regatta will begin at 8 a.m. and will include No. 5-ranked Ohio State, No. 6 Michigan State, No. 15 Wisconsin, No. 19 Minnesota, No. 20 Iowa and host Indiana. Michigan has won four of the five Big Ten Championships, including the last two, since the conference began sponsoring the sport in 2000. The Maize and Blue won the first two princess crowns in 2000 and 2001 and, after finishing second to Ohio State in 2002, returned to the top of the podium again in 2003 and 2004.
Schedule of Events
| 8:15 a.m. | II Novice Eight, Heat 1 | U-M lane 4 |
| 8:30 a.m. | I Novice Eight, Heat 1 | U-M lane 3 |
| 8:45 a.m. | I Novice Eight, Heat 2 | |
| 9:00 a.m. | II Varsity Four, Heat 1 | U-M lane 2 |
| 9:15 a.m. | II Varsity Four, Heat 2 | |
| 9:30 a.m. | I Varsity Four, Heat 1 | |
| 9:45 a.m. | I Varsity Four, Heat 2 | U-M lane 3 |
| 10:00 a.m. | II Varsity Eight, Heat 1 | |
| 10:15 a.m. | II Varsity Eight, Heat 2 | U-M lane 3 |
| 10:30 a.m. | I Varsity Eight, Heat 1 | U-M lane 2 |
| 10:45 a.m. | I Varsity Eight, Heat 2 | |
| | ||
| 12:15 p.m. | II Novice Eight, Grand Final | |
| 12:30 p.m. | I Novice Eight, Petite Final | |
| 12:45 p.m. | I Novice Eight, Grand Final | |
| 1:00 p.m. | II Varsity Four, Petite Final | |
| 1:15 p.m. | II Varsity Four, Grand Final | |
| 1:30 p.m. | I Varsity Four, Petite Final | |
| 1:45 p.m. | I Varsity Four, Grand Final | |
| 2:00 p.m. | II Varsity Eight, Petite Final | |
| 2:15 p.m. | II Varsity Eight, Grand Final | |
| 2:30 p.m. | I Varsity Eight, Petite Final | |
| 2:45 p.m. | I Varsity Eight, Grand Final | |
| 4:00 p.m. | Awards Presentation | |
Coach Mark Rothstein Says ...
"At Big Tens we're going to get everyone's best race. Just because we beat two good teams in Iowa and Wisconsin two weeks ago does not mean that there are any guarantees. We need to be ready and we need to get faster if we want to win the Big Ten championship."
Championship Format
Up to six boats race for each team at the Big Ten Championships: first varsity eight, second varsity eight, first varsity four, second varsity four, first novice eight and second novice eight. The set of boats are split into two heats in the morning session. The top four teams advance to the grand final in the afternoon while the remaining teams finish the day in the petite final. Each boat earns points for its team based on its finish (see chart below).
Place-Points
| Race | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| IV8 | 63 | 54 | 45 | 36 | 27 | 18 | 9 |
| IIV8 | 42 | 36 | 30 | 24 | 18 | 12 | 6 |
| IV4 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 3 |
| IIV4 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| IN8 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| IIN8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Matt the Meteorologist
The forecast for Saturday in Bloomington, Ind., calls for a high of 66 degrees. Showers are being predicted with a 70 percent likelihood. Winds are expected out of the east near 10 miles per hour.
Last Week for the Maize and Blue
Michigan's first varsity eight finished the regular season with a perfect 7-0 record following wins over Iowa and No. 14 Wisconsin two weeks ago (April 16) on Belleville Lake in Belleville, Mich. U-M's top boat beat the Hawkeyes in 6:34.9 (+0:02.2) and then the Badgers in 6:29.8 (+0:03.0). The second varsity eight eased past Iowa in 6:45.2, over 10 seconds ahead of its competition. In the afternoon, however, the Badger second eight defeated U-M, 6:30.2 to 6:37.2. The first varsity four races had Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin competing since Iowa did not travel a four. In the morning, U-M's first four was third despite finishing just 2.7 seconds behind the winning Wisconsin boat. In the afternoon, the Wolverines surpassed the Spartans and finished second to the Badgers. Both second varsity four sprints went to the Maize and Blue. U-M had a win by open water in the first race that included MSU and UW. In the later race U-M had to hold off a final charge by Wisconsin to earn a 1.8-second victory. In the novice races, U-M's first novice eight took the win over Iowa but then fell to Wisconsin. The second novice eight crew was second and third, respectively, in its two races with MSU and UW. In two novice four races with Iowa and Wisconsin, Michigan was second in the morning and third in the afternoon.
Last Year at the Big Ten Championships
At the 2004 Big Ten Championships in Iowa City, Iowa, the Wolverines earned their fourth (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004) Big Ten Conference title in five years, however, this one was the most surprising of them all. Following an up-and-down regular season, the Wolverines regrouped to defeat the heavily favored Ohio State Buckeyes. Heading into the second varsity eight and first varsity eight grand final races the Wolverines were far behind the leaders. A first-place finish from the second varsity eight allowed Michigan to get back into the upper echelon. Then U-M's first varsity eight pulled out its first win in four races to garner first-place honors for the boat and the team. Michigan finished with a total of 128 points, while Wisconsin took second (115 points) and Ohio State was third (112 points).
Postseason Continues
Following the Big Ten Championships, the Maize and Blue moves on to the Central Region Championships on May 14-15 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The Wolverines won five consecutive Central Region titles from 1998-2002. The NCAA Championships run May 27-29 in Sacramento, Calif.
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
