Weekly Release #6

5/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Rowing

Upcoming Schedule
Sat-Sun., May 13-14 -- at Central/South Region Sprints (Oak Ridge, Tenn.)
Fri-Sun., May 26-28 -- at NCAA Championships (West Windsor, N.J.)

Michigan This Week
The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan rowing team continues its postseason this Saturday and Sunday (May 13-14) at the Central/South Region Sprints in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Saturday's preliminary races will begin at 9 a.m., followed by the semifinals at 2 p.m. The finals will commence on Sunday at 9 a.m. After placing fourth at the 2006 Big Ten Conference Championships two weeks ago, the Wolverines will attempt to earn their ninth consecutive bid to the NCAA Championships, which are May 26-28 in West Windsor, N.J.

While 21 crews will be heading to the Central/South Region Sprints, U-M will technically be competing against Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kansas State, No. 14 Michigan State, No. 9 Minnesota, No. 10 Notre Dame, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 20 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
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.	Semifinal 1
	2:10 p.m.	Semifinal 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 C/D 1
	3:10 p.m.	Semifinal C/D 2
	3:20 p.m.	Semifinal A/B 1
	3:30 p.m.	Semifinal A/B 2
I Varsity Eight	3:40 p.m.	Semifinal C/D 1
	3:50 p.m.	Semifinal C/D 2
	4:00 p.m.	Semifinal A/B 1
	4:10 p.m.	Semifinal A/B 2

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

Weather Outlook
The forecast for Oak Ridge, Tenn., on Saturday calls for a high of 72 degrees with isolated thunderstorms. Sunday's weather is expected to be cooler with temperatures in the high 60's with possible rain showers. Humidity for the weekend will be around 50percent.

Championship Format
The number of entries for each of the six events ranges from 13 (open four) 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
1	189	120	54	28	11
2	180	114	51	26	10
3	171	108	48	24	9
4	162	102	45	22	8
5	153	96	42	20	7
6	144	90	39	18	6
7	135	84	36	16	5
8	126	78	33	14	4
9	117	72	30	12	3
10	108	66	27	10	2
11	99	60	24	8	1
12	90	54	21	6
13	81	48	18	4
14	72	42	15	2
15	63	36	12
16	54	30	9
17	45	24	6
18	36	18	3
19	27	12
20	18	6
21	9

Last Year at the Central Region Championships
Michigan's first day (May 14) at the 2005 Central Region Championships put the Wolverines in good position as all five boats advanced to their respective grand finals. During the second day of competition (May 15) U-M only mustered a boat title in the first novice eight event and finished second in the region behind Ohio State. Wisconsin finished just behind the Maize and Blue in third. The first varsity eight placed a dissappointing fifth, nearly nine seconds of the pace of the winner, Ohio State. Michigan's second varsity eight did slightly better by finishing fourth in its sprint. The first varsity four earned an identical fourth-place finish. The second varsity four was in the middle of the pack in its race and garnered a third-place showing. U-M's novice crew won its final event by nearly a full boat length. Virginia won the overall and South Region championships with 372 points. Ohio State won the Central Region crown with 366 points while U-M (327) beat out Wisconsin (324) for second in the region.

Two Weeks Ago at the Big Ten Championships
The Wolverines earned a fourth-place team finish at the 2006 Big Ten Championships on April 29 in St. Paul, Minn. Michigan's varsity eights led the charge as each boat garnered top-three finishes. The first varsity eight was the runner-up to Ohio State while the second varsity eight finished behind OSU and Michigan State. U-M's 112 points placed it behind Big Ten champion Ohio State (130), Minnesota (121) and Michigan State (113). Wisconsin (88) was fifth, Iowa (45) finished sixth, and Indiana (34) was seventh. As a result of constant rain and a strong crosswind throughout the day the races were all compressed into the morning. The order of the races were also rearranged so that the varsity events occurred first during the heats and finals. The Wolverine first varsity four placed fourth in its grand final and the second varsity four won the petite final to finish fifth overall. The first novice eight won its petite final and the second novice eight took fourth in the grand final.

First Varsity Eight Shakeup
This week the first varsity eight's lineup underwent its first alteration of the 2006 spring season. While the only newcomer to the boat is freshman Kari Stenbakken (Sammamish, Wash./Eastlake HS), who is making her varsity eight debut, the other seven veterans have all changed seats. Most importantly, fifth-year senior Cristin McCarty (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Bishop James Mahoney HS) has moved into the stroke seat. The complete boat lineup is available below.

All-Big Ten
For their efforts throughout the 2006 campaign, four Michigan rowers were named to the All-Big Ten teams at the Big Ten Championships on April 29. Stesha Carle (Long Beach, Calif./Woodrow Wilson HS) and Janine Hanson (Winnipeg, Manitoba/St. Mary's Academy) were chosen as All-Big Ten first team members. Cristin McCarty (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Bishop James Mahoney HS) and Ellen Tomek (Flushing, Mich./Powers Catholic HS) were part of the All-Big Ten second team. Hanson was also 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 26-28 on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J.

Probable Lineups

First Varsity Eight -- Julia Dalzell (coxswain), Cristin McCarty, Ellen Tomek, Stesha Carl, Janine Hanson, Kari Stenbakken, Cate Trumble, Ashley Jones, Emily Shea.

Second Varsity Eight -- Laura Dunn (coxswain), Michela Musto, Carrie Kraeger, Marin McCabe, Annie Hildebrand, Kate Strzalkowski, Amanda Martin, Liz McCannell, Carla Bezold.

First Varsity Four -- Vanessa Reid (coxswain), Casey Timmons, Rebecca Shapiro, Barbara Wagner, Caitlin McAllister.

Second Varsity Four -- Jessica Shanahan (coxswain), Casey Griswold, Phoebe Brenne, Erin Cikanek, Becca Larson.