Michigan
NCAA Semifinals
Wolverines Put All Boats in Grand Finals at NCAA Championships
5/29/2021 11:19:00 AM | Rowing
» U-M advanced all three boats to Sunday's Grand Finals, where they will compete for the national title.
» Michigan has a chance to match or better its pre-championships seeding: fifth (1V8), fifth (2V8), and third (1V4) with a trip to the podium as a team Sunday.
» The Wolverines have now advanced all three boats to Grand Finals three times in four seasons (2017, '19, '21), and back-to-back for the first time in program history.
Site: Sarasota, Fla. (Nathan Benderson Park)
Event: NCAA Championships (Day 2 of 3)
First Varsity Eight Finish: 6:13.681 (2nd)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, May 30 -- at NCAA Championships - Day Three (Sarasota, Fla.), 10Â a.m.
SARASOTA, Fla. -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan rowing program advanced all three boats to Grand Final races during semifinal action on the second day at the NCAA Championships on Saturday (May 29). Rowing at Nathan Benderson Park, the Wolverines placed second (first varsity eight), third, and third in their three events and made program history by qualifying all three boats for the Grand Final in consecutive championship seasons.
Skies were clear and temperatures mid-70s in the early morning, but with high humidity which crept up as the sun grew stronger. With negligible winds, the water was glassy and smooth to continue the excellent conditions from the first day of racing. Boats were searching for top-three finishes during today's races, which qualified them for Grand Final racing Sunday (May 30) and a shot at the national title in their respective events. Boats that placed fourth through sixth in today's semifinals advanced to the Petite Final, where they will compete for seventh through 12th place.
By the end of the day, U-M was joined by Stanford, Texas, Virginia, and Washington as programs to have all three boats in the Grand Final. Ohio State (2V8, 1V4) and Rutgers (1V8) also qualified additional Big Ten boats for the championship race.
The Wolverines started the morning with the 1V8 race, lining up in lane three between Rutgers and Texas, which also sported a double-bucket rig. Scheduled to go first, the heat was run second after a slight equipment issue delay.
Michigan led out of the gates with a half-deck lead over Texas as Rutgers and Ohio State gave chase to the leaders. U-M's high stroke rate gave it an edge early, but near 500 meters, Texas had tightened the gap to about two seats. As the race wore on, the Longhorns marched ahead, and U-M saw Ohio State outside in lane four and Rutgers inside in lane two begin to move up.
At 1,250 meters, Rutgers had eaten into the U-M lead, but the Wolverines remained ahead by a few seats. Texas put open water on the field down the final 700 meters or so, and it became a three-boat race for two Grand Final qualifying places. U-M's fitness showed as it responded time and time again to the moves made by the Scarlet Knights. As OSU gave chase, it became Michigan and Rutgers battling with each stroke, and the Wolverines edged out RU at the line for second place. Michigan's time of 6:13.681 was 0.376 seconds better than Rutgers, and the Big Ten will have two boats in the NCAA Grand Final.
In the first heat of the 2V8 A/B Semifinals, U-M and its double-bucket lined up in lane two between SMU and Ohio State. Washington was the early leader with SMU, California, and Michigan jockeying for second position in the early going.
By 500 meters, the Wolverines had emerged as the second-place boat to beat with Cal right on their heels, and Ohio State had worked itself into fourth place, eyeing one of those qualifying positions. Near the halfway point of the race, the Huskies had nearly broken fully from the pack and were in control in the lead. U-M's second-place positioning was tighter than ever through the 1,000 as the Buckeyes and Golden Bears charged into the Wolverines.
About 15 feet separated the three boats with 750 meters to go and the margin only grew tighter in the final sprint. OSU picked up its speed during the third 500 meters and the Wolverines needed a response in the final quarter of the race to hold their positioning. Just 0.05 seconds separated the Big Ten rivals at 1,500 meters and the Buckeyes had momentum. Meanwhile, California was charging hard for a third-place finish.
In the final strokes of the race, OSU moved inches ahead of U-M, but it was really a clean stroke's difference between second, third and fourth place. The finish was too close to call with the naked eye, and in the end U-M edged California by 0.172 seconds, 6:22.630 to 6:22.802, to finish third and qualify for the Grand Final in a true photo finish. The Big Ten again will have two boats in the top event finale.
The 1V4 race also saw U-M in lane two, this time between Syracuse and Washington. It was U-M and Stanford early, then Brown and Washington worked their way up while all four boats formed an early lead pack. U-M took the first lead, a slim one, before Stanford emerged with a more stable lead. U-M and Washington began battling for third place as Brown fell slightly back to UW.
Near 750 meters, Stanford had developed a full-length lead over UW and U-M, but the Huskies began to lengthen their strokes and gain ground. U-M slipped into third but still looked strong as it sought to put open water on Brown through 1,000 meters while UW strengthened its second-place positioning.
Past the halfway point, the top three leaders had open water on Brown in fourth place. For Michigan, it was a race to catch the Huskies, but it was a difficult task. Both boats pushed each other throughout the race, and though neither could catch Stanford, it was an excellent showing.
The positions did not change down the stretch, and the boats crossed Stanford-Washington-Michigan for Grand Final, qualifying with U-M 5.246 seconds behind the Huskies and ahead of Brown by a healthy 9.796 seconds.
On Sunday, (May 30), the Wolverines will close out the 2021 season with the final day of the NCAA Championships. Racing begins with the 1V4 Grand Final at 10 a.m. The 2V8 Grand Final will be at 10:24 a.m. and the 1V8 Grand Final will close the day at 10:48 a.m. with awards to follow at noon.
Results
First Varsity Eight
1. Texas -- 6:09.073
2. MICHIGAN -- 6:13.681
3. Rutgers -- 6:14.057
4. Ohio State -- 6:17.009
5. Alabama -- 6:28.449
6. Syracuse -- 6:31.507
Second Varsity Eight
1. Washington -- 6:17.006
2. Ohio State -- 6:22.178
3. MICHIGAN -- 6:22.630
4. California -- 6:22.802
5. SMU -- 6:31.968
6. Wisconsin -- 6:37.850
First Varsity Four
1. Stanford -- 6:53.207
2. Washington -- 6:58.751
3. MICHIGAN -- 7:03.997
4. Brown -- 7:13.793
5. California -- 7:16.427
6. Syracuse -- 7:17.123
Michigan Lineup
1V8: Charlotte Powers (coxswain), Annika Hoffmann, Tayla-May Bentley, Lilia Duncan, Madison Byrd, Kate Burns, Grace Collins, Ariana Shokoohi, Julia Gehlert
2V8: Alexandra Gabel (coxswain), Emma Luniewicz, Noa Sreden, Paige Badenhorst, Elena Collier-Hezel, Abigail Dent, Zara Collisson, Ember Larson, Jeri Rhodes
1V4: Lillian Mei, Victoria Cooke, Kathryn Ward, Sarah McKay, Ainslie Evans (coxswain)
Players Mentioned
