Wolverines Test Speed Against Top-Ranked Competition on Day One of Big Ten Invitational

Saturday, April 18

Sacramento, Calif.

8:30 AM PT

Michigan

Big Ten Invitational

(Michigan Photography)

Wolverines Test Speed Against Top-Ranked Competition on Day One of Big Ten Invitational

4/18/2026 9:39:00 PM | Rowing

By: Devin Wiles, Anastasia Dubovoy

Site: Sacramento, Calif. (Lake Natoma)
Event: Big Ten Invitational (Day 1 of 2)
First Varsity Eight Finish: 6:23.5 (2nd of 5), 6:24.2 (4th of 5)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, April 19 -- at Big Ten Invitational - Day Two (Sacramento, Calif.), 8:30 a.m. PT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The No. 17-ranked University of Michigan rowing program finished in the top two in six of 14 races on day one of the Big Ten Invitational on Saturday (April 18) at Lake Natoma. The Wolverines matched up against No. 1 Stanford, No. 5 Washington and No. 9 California throughout the day's races.

The morning session of the invitational opened at 8:30 a.m. PT to a temperature of 52 degrees with no wind on the course.

The Wolverines gained an early lead in their first race, the 2V4, and pulled ahead with open water around the 750-meter mark, chased by USC. U-M ended the race with a time of 7:22.2, with USC 7.2 seconds behind.

The first varsity four boat pulled away next, fighting with Stanford for the lead before claiming it around 500 meters. U-M held onto that advantage for the remainder of the race and finished in first with a time of 7:05.7.

The first varsity eight boats finished in second place by a few boat lengths. The 2V8 raced first, finishing with a time of 6:31.9 and a margin of victory of 10 seconds behind Stanford. The 1V8 crossed the line with a time of 6:23.5 after pulling away from third-place Iowa around the 1,500-meter mark.

The third varsity four came back after California gained an early lead in its morning race and won with a time of 7:16.1 (+6.9). The morning session closed with a pair of third-place finishes from the Wolverines' third and fourth varsity eight boats.

Afternoon weather improved to sunny, 75-degree conditions with a light headwind at 2:40 p.m. PT. The third varsity four saw a close race against California and finished third with a time of 7:30.9.

The third varsity eight fought with Washington from the start of its race and finished in second with a four-seat lead and a time of 6:48.5. Michigan's 4V8 finished fourth in its afternoon race and posted a time of 7:02.8.

Washington and California opened to an early lead in the 2V4 race, and the Wolverines locked into a tight race with UCLA. U-M clinched third place over the Bruins by a boat-length margin (+5.1).

U-M's 1V4 rowed stroke-for-stroke with Washington and California for the first half of its afternoon race but fell behind in the latter half. The Huskies and Golden Bears pulled away in the final 500 meters, and the Wolverines finished third with a time of 7:16.0.

The 2V8 race was similar, as the Maize and Blue fell behind Washington and California around the 750-meter mark and were unable to catch up, finishing third with a time of 6:33.9.

The Wolverines' last race of the day came at 4:30 p.m. PT, and the 1V8 locked into a bow-to-bow race against UCLA for third place. In a photo finish, U-M was downed by the Bruins by a 0.2-second margin and finished fourth to close the day's races.

The Big Ten Invitational continues Sunday (April 19), with U-M's 2V4 opening the day's races at 8 a.m. PT. The Wolverines will face the event's four highest-ranked programs across the morning -- No. 1 Stanford, No. 5 Washington, No. 9 California, and No. 12 Rutgers.

RESULTS (A.M.)

First Varsity Eight
1. Stanford -- 6:15.1
2. MICHIGAN -- 6:23.5
3. USC -- 6:32.4
4. Iowa -- 6:40.9
5. Gonzaga -- 6:49.5

Second Varsity Eight
1. Stanford -- 6:21.9
2. MICHIGAN -- 6:31.9
3. USC -- 6:39.8
4. Iowa -- 6:44.1
5. Gonzaga -- 6:46.8

First Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:05.7
2. Stanford -- 7:11.8
3. USC -- 7:23.1
4. Gonzaga -- 7:30.3
5. Iowa -- 7:31.2

Second Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:22.2
2. USC -- 7:29.4
3. Gonzaga -- 7:36.7
4. Iowa -- 7:39.1
5. Stanford -- 7:45.2

Third Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:16.1
2. California -- 7:23.0
3. Iowa -- 7:41.5
4. Stanford -- 7:48.3

Third Varsity Eight
1. Stanford -- 6:33.5
2. California -- 6:39.2
3. MICHIGAN -- 6:40.8
4. USC -- 6:53.1
5. Iowa -- 6:55.6

Fourth Varsity Eight
1. Rutgers -- 6:47.8
2. California -- 6:51.0
3. MICHIGAN -- 6:55.9
4. Iowa -- 7:07.4

RESULTS (P.M.)

First Varsity Eight
1. California -- 6:10.9
2. Washington -- 6:13.5
3. UCLA -- 6:23.9
4. MICHIGAN -- 6:24.2
5. Notre Dame -- 6:50.4

Second Varsity Eight
1. Washington -- 6:24.7
2. California -- 6:28.3
3. MICHIGAN -- 6:33.9
4. UCLA -- 6:45.0
5. Notre Dame -- 6:51.7

First Varsity Four
1. Washington -- 7:08.6
2. California -- 7:13.0
3. MICHIGAN -- 7:16.0
4. UCLA -- 7:31.1
5. Notre Dame -- 7:42.0

Second Varsity Four
1. Washington -- 7:14.7
2. California -- 7:20.8
3. MICHIGAN -- 7:33.8
4. UCLA -- 7:39.0
5. Notre Dame -- 7:45.4

Third Varsity Four
1. Washington -- 7:13.6
2. California -- 7:27.0
3. MICHIGAN -- 7:30.9
4. UCLA -- 7:38.6
5. Sacramento State -- 8:59.8

Third Varsity Eight
1. California -- 6:45.2
2. MICHIGAN -- 6:48.5
3. Washington -- 6:49.8
4. UCLA -- 6:53.8

Fourth Varsity Eight
1. Washington -- 6:49.4
2. UCLA -- 6:58.0
3. California -- 6:59.4
4. MICHIGAN -- 7:02.9
5. Minnesota -- 7:19.5
6. Wisconsin -- 7:33.8

MICHIGAN LINEUPS

1V8: Logan Roeder (coxswain), Novella Rusman, Olivia Carroll, Lucy Hallett, Danelia Price-Hughes, Jana Peachey, Madaleine Lauriault, Marloes van der Zwart, Megan Higley