Michigan
Big Ten Invitational (Morning)
Wolverines Look Fast, Pile Wins on First Day of Big Ten Invitational
4/17/2021 5:40:00 PM | Rowing
» The Wolverine 1V8 picked up wins over four ranked programs: No. 18 Washington State in the morning, and No. 9 Tennessee, No. 16 Iowa, and No. 20 Syracuse in the afternoon.
» In total, U-M collected 12 of 14 possible victories.
» It was a bounce-back weekend for the program, with exciting wins up and down the lineup.
Site: Bethel, Ohio (Lake Harsha)
Event: Big Ten Invitational (Day 1 of 2)
First Varsity Eight Finish: 6:23.997 (2nd), 6:34.311 (1st)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, April 18 -- at Big Ten Invitational - Day 2 (Bethel, Ohio), 8:30 a.m.
BETHEL, Ohio -- The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan rowing program rowed through choppy waters and spotty rain across two sessions of racing on Lake Harsha on Saturday (April 17) and emerged with victories in a dozen races and plenty of momentum. After second-place finishes in the first two races of the day, U-M swept the remainder of its schedule and picked up wins over ranked foes from the Big Ten, ACC, SEC, and Pac-12 conferences along the way.
Conditions were far from ideal. Rain was coming and going, maintaining an especially steady presence in the morning, and competitors battled through a noticeable wind down the stretch of the race. But when the rain did slow, the venue accommodated wide lanes and competitive races. Lake Harsha features a seven-lane buoyed 2,000-meter course with a brand new dock, and the course made for a great host for the 16-team field on the first day of action.
In the morning set of races, U-M's first and second varsity eight boats earned narrow second-place finishes in their respective heats, finishing behind No. 11 Rutgers and ahead of No. 18 Washington State. The 1V8 was just 1.589 seconds behind the Scarlet Knights, crossing in 6:23.997, and the 2V8 had a similar split at +1.518 with a time of 6:40.508).
The Wolverines swept the rest of the morning races, collecting wins via all three varsity four boats (1V4, 2V4, 3V4) and both novice eights (1N8, 2N8). The 1V4 faced the same competition as the varsity eight boats, and brought U-M its first win of the day with the largest split of the morning, a 7.546-second victory with Rutgers in second.
The 2V4 had a significant victory as well, a 4.816-second win in 7:28.256 over a pair of top-five programs in Virginia and Ohio State. With this morning's win, the 2V4 has beaten both teams twice each so far this spring. The 1N8 boat beat the same programs, a 2.162-second win.
The 3V4 scored timed 7:42.837, coming in ahead of Syracuse, Notre Dame and Iowa. The 2N8 beat Rutgers and Iowa.
In the afternoon schedule, rain was coming down and waters got choppy, especially across the last 500 meters or so. The weather lightened up slightly ahead of the final three races of the day, the 1V8, 2V8, and 1V4 events. Despite the conditions, U-M collected itself and its afternoon racing was as strong a performance as the team has had this season.
The 2V4 began the session with an open-water victory over Syracuse and Tennessee. It was a continuation of the morning momentum for the Wolverines, who won by 6.815 seconds. The 3V4 followed with an open-water win of its own, making a move in the first half of the race that was not matched by its opponents. U-M timed 7:25.534 with Syracuse 7.814 seconds behind with Iowa in third.
The 1N8 boat did battle with Virginia and Rutgers, maintaining a couple of seats over the Cavaliers before making a strong move down the stretch to put open water on UVA. U-M crossed in 6:38.198, 6.159 seconds ahead of Virginia with Rutgers in third and Michigan State in fourth. The 2N8 won by a full boat length over Wisconsin (+3.55), Iowa, and Ohio State.
The 1V8 came back focused and ready in the afternoon, leading from the start in its second race. No. 9 Tennessee and No. 20 Syracuse battled for second place throughout, but U-M only extended its lead from the beginning. U-M opened a five-seat lead into open water by the halfway mark of the race and continued to push the pace. The Orange did not let U-M walk too far ahead, and the Wolverines won in 6:34.311 with a 4.404-second cushion.
The 2V8 race began as one of the tightest of the afternoon, but U-M looked smooth in its victory. Tightly packed early on, U-M remained among the leaders but it took through the latter half of the race to establish a clear lead of more than a couple of seats. The Orange and Volunteers were closest in pursuit, and U-M pushed even further ahead to about six seats as the boats hit the 1,000-meter mark. The Wolverines won in open water with a time of 6:48.111, a victory of 6.025 seconds.
The 1V4 race saw boats jostling for position early on as well, but again it was the Wolverines emerging first. Syracuse challenged from the far outside lane to keep U-M honest but the Maize and Blue responded in kind, and the two emerged from the rest of the pack. The Michigan boat's final 500 meters was too much for Syracuse to hang on, and U-M put open water on the Orange for a strong victory finish to the afternoon. The Wolverines timed 7:34.088 to win by 6.349 seconds
U-M will be back at it Sunday morning (April 18) at 8:30 a.m. for the final set of races on Lake Harsha. The Wolverines' championship boats are scheduled to line up against No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Virginia.
Results
Morning Session
First Varsity Eight
1. Rutgers -- 6:22.408
2. MICHIGAN -- 6:23.997
3. Washington State -- 6:38.683
Second Varsity Eight
1. Rutgers -- 6:38.990
2. MICHIGAN -- 6:40.508
3. Washington State -- 6:57.512
First Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:23.229
2. Rutgers -- 7:30.775
3. Washington State -- 7:41.048
Second Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:28.256
2. Virginia -- 7:33.072
3. Ohio State -- 7:39.361
Third Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:42.837
2. Syracuse -- 7:44.616
3. Notre Dame -- 7:56.681
4. Iowa -- 8:28.133
First Novice Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 6:46.177
2. Virginia -- 6:48.339
3. Ohio State -- 6:58.507
Second Novice Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:10.534
2. Rutgers -- 7:14.003
3. Iowa -- 7:20.378
Afternoon Session
First Varsity Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 6:34.311
2. Syracuse --6:38.715
3. Tennessee -- 6:42.313
4. Iowa -- 6:48.219
Second Varsity Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 6:48.111
2. Syracuse -- 6:54.136
3. Tennessee -- 6:56.227
4. Iowa -- 6:59.416
First Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:34.088
2. Syracuse -- 7:40.437
3. Tennessee -- 7:52.179
4. Iowa -- 7:52.391
Second Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:14.212
2. Syracuse -- 7:23.027
3. Tennessee -- 7:37.112
4. Iowa -- 8:14.521
Third Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:25.534
2. Syracuse -- 7:33.349
3. Iowa -- 8:27.364
First Novice Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 6:38.198
2. Virginia -- 6:45.357
3. Rutgers -- 7:00.103
4. Michigan State -- 7:45.352
Second Novice Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:04.681
2. Wisconsin -- 7:08.636
3. Iowa -- 7:10.483
4. Ohio State -- 7:25.024
Varsity Lineup
1V8: Charlotte Powers (coxswain), Annika Hoffmann, Tayla-May Bentley, Madison Byrd, Lilia Duncan, Grace Collins, Kate Burns, Noa Sreden, Julia Gehlert
2V8: Darien Moses (coxswain), Delaney Evans, Emma Luniewicz, Lillian Mei, Paige Badenhorst, Annaka Draaisma, Sarah McKay, Ember Larson, Victoria Cooke
1V4: Kathryn Ward, Madelyn Ball, Tara Flaherty, Taylor Toudouze, Alexandra Gabel (coxswain)
2V4: Megan Hinkle, Abigail Dent, Aubrey Fitts, Lauren Benitez, Kayla Ehrlich (coxswain)
3V4 (first session): Lara Vanderbilt, Haven Essien, Ally Eggleton. Olivia McMullen, Ainslie Evans (coxswain)
3V4 (second session): Lara Vanderbilt, Haven Essien, Lauren Sickmiller, Hadley Camp, Ainslie Evans (coxswain)
1N8: Faith Bridgeman (coxswain), Isabel Mezei, Elle Caton, Katie Lucken, Brooke Gietzen, Olivia Olk, Julia Casey, Chloe Pulick, Olivia Krum
2N8: Caitlin Dusenbury (coxswain), Lily Pence, Annika Ehrlacher, Sophie Rallis, Ashley Veldheer, Kate Kikilo, Lauren Langley, Grace Haller, Kaylin Eighmey
Players Mentioned
