Weekly Release #6

Upcoming Schedule
Sat-Sun., May 14-15 -- at Central/South Region Sprints (Oak Ridge, Tenn.)
Fri-Sun., May 27-29 -- at NCAA Championships (Sacramento, Calif.)

Michigan This Week
The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan rowing team continues its postseason this Saturday and Sunday (May 14-15) at the Central/South Region Sprints in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Saturday's preliminary races will begin at 9 a.m. and the finals will commence on Sunday also at 9 a.m. After stumbling to a fourth-place finish at the 2005 Big Ten Conference Championships two weeks ago, the Wolverines will attempt to earn their eighth consecutive bid to the NCAA Championships, which are May 27-29 in Sacramento, Calif. While 21 crews will be heading to the regatta, U-M will technically be competing against Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kansas State, No. 3 Michigan State, No. 15 Minnesota, Notre Dame, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 14 Wisconsin. The South Region contains the other 10 schools. All of the 21 teams will compete against one another throughout the weekend; however, final standings will be determined based on the points accumulated as compared to regional opponents.

Saturday Morning Heats
Open Four	9:00 a.m.	Heat 1
	9:10 a.m.	Heat 2
	9:20 a.m.	Heat 3
I Novice Eight	9:30 a.m.	Heat 1
	9:40 a.m.	Heat 2
	9:50 a.m.	Heat 3
I Varsity Four	10:00 a.m.	Heat 1
	10:10 a.m.	Heat 2
	10:20 a.m.	Heat 3
II Varsity Eight	10:30 a.m.	Heat 1
	10:40 a.m.	Heat 2
	10:50 a.m.	Heat 3
	11:00 a.m.	Heat 4
I Varsity Eight	11:10 a.m.	Heat 1
	11:20 a.m.	Heat 2
	11:30 a.m.	Heat 3
	11:40 a.m.	Heat 4

Michigan's heats are in bold

Saturday Afternoon Semifinals and Repechages
Open Four	2:00 p.m.	Repechage 1
	2:10 p.m.	Repechage 2
I Novice Eight	2:20 p.m.	Repechage 1
	2:30 p.m.	Repechage 2
I Varsity Four	2:40 p.m.	Semifinal A/B 1
	2:50 p.m.	Semifinal A/B 2
II Varsity Eight	3:00 p.m.	Semifinal A/B 1
	3:10 p.m.	Semifinal A/B 2
I Varsity Eight	3:20 p.m.	Semifinal C/D 1
	3:30 p.m.	Semifinal C/D 2
	3:40 p.m.	Semifinal A/B 1
	3:50 p.m.	Semifinal A/B 2

Sunday Finals
9:00 a.m.	I Varsity Eight	D Level Final
9:10 a.m.	I Varsity Four	C Level Final
9:20 a.m.	II Varsity Eight	C Level Final
9:30 a.m.	I Varsity Eight	C Level Final
9:40 a.m.	Open Four	B Level Final
9:50 a.m.	II Novice Eight	A Level Final
10:00 a.m.	Open Four	A Level Final
10:10 a.m.	I Novice Eight	B Level Final
10:20 a.m.	I Novice Eight	A Level Final
10:30 a.m.	I Varsity Four	B Level Final
10:40 a.m.	I Varsity Four	A Level Final
10:50 a.m.	II Varsity Eight	B Level Final
11:00 a.m.	II Varsity Eight	A Level Final
11:10 a.m.	I Varsity Eight	B Level Final
11:20 a.m.	I Varsity Eight	A Level Final

Live Results
The University of Tennessee will serve as the host school for the Central/South Region Sprints. More information and results about the event can be found at utladyvols.com. Final results and award winners will be posted following the regatta. In addition, the Oak Ridge Rowing Association will provide live up to the minute race results for the entire weekend at orra.org.

Matt the Meteorologist
The forecast for Oak Ridge, Tenn., on Saturday calls for a high of 80 degrees with scattered thunderstorms being predicted with a 30 percent likelihood. Sunday's weather is expected to be cooler with temperatures in the low 70's with scattered thunderstorms. Humidity for the weekend should be around 60 percent.

Championship Format
The number of entries for each of the six events ranges from five(second novice eight) to 21 (first varsity eight). Each of the race classifications has preliminary heats on Saturday morning. Based on heat finishes boats advance to varying levels of semifinals that take place Saturday afternoon. From the semifinals, crews are placed into their final races on Sunday. Each boat earns points for its team based on its final finish on Sunday (see chart below).

Place-Points

Finish	IV8	IIV8	IV4	IN8	IIV4	IIN8
1	189	114	51	26	12	5
2	180	108	48	24	11	4
3	171	102	45	22	10	3
4	162	96	42	20	9	2
5	153	90	39	18	8	1
6	144	84	36	16	7
7	135	78	33	14	6
8	126	72	30	12	5
9	117	66	27	10	4
10	108	60	24	8	3
11	99	54	21	6	2
12	90	48	18	4	1
13	81	42	15	2
14	72	36	12
15	63	30	9
16	54	24	6
17	45	18	3
18	36	12
19	27	6
20	18
21	9

Last Year at the Central Region Championships
Michigan earned third place behind Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Wisconsin at the 2004 Central Region Championships on May 16 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. On May 15, U-M successfully qualified all four of its varsity crews for the 'A' finals. In the finals on May 16, the first varsity eight was third behind Central Region champion Ohio State and Southern Region champion Virginia, respectively. The second varsity eight was the runner up in its 'A' final behind UVA. The first varsity four was sixth in its event while the second varsity four garnered first-place honors in its final. The novice eight was first in the 'C' final.

Two Weeks Ago at the Big Ten Championships
With a fourth-place team showing, the then No. 3 Wolverines suffered their worst final standing in the five-year history of the Big Ten Championships on April 30 in Bloomington, Ind. Michigan had an impressive morning on Lake Lemon. By placing all six of its boats in the afternoon's grand finals U-M was in good position to capture its third straight Big Ten title and fifth overall. Unfortunately, the Maize and Blue crews did not fare as well in the decisive races as no boat finished higher than third place in its respective race.

Heading into the first varsity eight grand final the Wolverines were still mathematically in the hunt for the team title provided they won the race and received help from other teams. However, the first varsity eight finished third (6:25.34) behind Michigan State (6:22.20) and Ohio State (6:23.50), ending their season-long eight-race winning streak. The Spartans parlayed their first varsity eight title into their first Big Ten team crown. The Buckeyes took second and Wisconsin edged Michigan for third. With its overhauled lineup, Michigan's second varsity eight was fourth in its final race in a time of 6:34.85. The first varsity four turned in a third-place showing, crossing the finish line in 7:27.65. U-M's second varsity four and first novice eight took third in their events and the second novice eight was fourth.

All-Big Ten
For their efforts throughout the 2005 campaign, a trio Michigan rowers were named to the All-Big Ten teams at the Big Ten Championships on April 30. Leah Ketcheson (Belleville, Ontario/Bayside SS) was chosen as All-Big Ten first team member. Crystal Culp (Fonthill, Ontario/E.L. Crossley SS) and Brett Sickler (Los Gatos, Calif../Los Gatos HS) were part of the All-Big Ten second team. Additionally, Margot Woolley (Belle Mead, N.J./Hun School of Princeton) was recognized as one of seven Big Ten Sportsmanship honorees.

What's the Deal with the Automatic Bid
The Central Region Championships winner does not receive the Central Region's automatic bid for the NCAA Championships. Bids for the national championships -- automatic and at-large -- are awarded based on several criteria. However, because of the level of competition and the late-season date of the regatta, results from the Central Region Championships are heavily considered in the selection process. The NCAA Championships run from May 27-29 on Lake Natoma in Sacramento, Calif.

Probable Lineups

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

Second Varsity Eight -- Julia Dalzell (coxswain), Elizabeth Godek, Ellen Tomek, Karen Colwell, Annie Hildebrand, Liz Nelson, Chelsea MacMullan, Carla Bezold, Jourdan Lawlor.

First Varsity Four -- To Be Determined

Second Varsity Four -- To Be Determined