Michigan
Big Ten Championship (Heats)
U-M Advances All Boats to Grand Finals to Open Big Ten Championships
5/15/2026 10:05:00 PM | Rowing
Site: Indianapolis, Ind. (Eagle Creek Park)
Event: Big Ten Championships (DAy 1 of 2)
First Varsity Eight Finish: 6:59.3 (3rd of 5); Advanced to Grand Finals
Next U-M Event: Sunday, May 17 -- at Big Ten Championships Finals (Indianapolis, Ind.), 9:02 a.m.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The No. 17-ranked University of Michigan rowing program strung together a series of second-place finishes for a successful day of racing on Friday (May 15) during the first day of competition at the Big Ten Championships at Eagle Creek Park. U-M advanced all seven boats to Grand Final races with six second-place finishes and one third-place showing in today's heats.
Originally scheduled for Saturday morning, heats were moved up to Friday night to avoid forecast inclement weather. The Wolverines began evening races at 6 p.m., with a temperature of 70 degrees and light wind as the 4V8 boats started off the evening schedule. Boats were looking for a top-three finish to advance to Grand Finals action, while boats outside the top three qualified for Petite Finals.
U-M's first varsity eight raced closely with UCLA and Washington before the Huskies pulled away. The Wolverines maintained their fight with the Bruins into the second half of the race and down the closing 500 meters. The Huskies pushed ahead into the lead and crossed the line in first place, with UCLA in second and the Wolverines in third with a time of 6:59.3.
The Wolverines' 2V8 earned a second-place finish (7:10.6) behind Rutgers after matching their pace from the fourth lane. After an early lead from the Maize and Blue, the Scarlet Knights pulled forward around the 500-meter mark and maintained their lead across the final three quarters of the race. U-M's second-place finish was a comfortable one, with USC over seven seconds behind in third place.
The 1V4 launched off the start alongside Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights pulled away from the field, and the Wolverines followed, gaining open water in front of third-place UCLA. Michigan rowed its way to another second-place finish (7:58.7).
The Wolverines' 2V4 went head-to-head with Rutgers and Ohio State for the first half of the race before the Scarlet Knights gained open water in first position, and U-M settled into second place with an open-water lead over OSU. The Buckeyes regained contact, but Michigan maintained its pace and finished in second place (7:58.7) behind Rutgers.
The third four maintained contact with Rutgers through the starting sequence, with Iowa directly behind. Michigan earned open water over the Hawkeyes around the halfway mark before the Wolverines earned a runner-up finish in the last race of the day behind the Silver Knights.
It was a two-boat race in the third varsity eight event between Michigan and Rutgers. U-M's 3V8 maintained close contact with Rutgers' boat after a close start, and the two crews battled all the way to the finish line. Rutgers crossed the finish line first, just 0.7 seconds ahead of the Maize and Blue. Indiana finished in third.
From the fourth lane, the Michigan 4V8 raced side-by-side with Ohio State after Washington got an early start. The Wolverines stayed ahead of the Buckeyes to earn a second-place finish (7:43.9) behind the Huskies.
The Big Ten Championship regatta will continue with Petite and Grand Finals races on Sunday, May 17, beginning with Petite Finals at 9:02 a.m. The team champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships later this month (May 29-31) in Atlanta, Georgia.
Results
First Varsity Eight
1. Washington -- 6:50.141
2. UCLA -- 6:58.459
3. MICHIGAN -- 6:59.269
4. Southern California -- 7:07.309
5. Michigan State -- 7:14.500
Second Varsity Eight
1. Rutgers -- 7:06.630
2. MICHIGAN -- 7:10.600
3. Southern California -- 7:17.852
4. UCLA -- 7:24.551
5. Michigan State -- 7:50.452
6. Wisconsin -- 7:44.565
First Varsity Four
1. Rutgers -- 7:47.447
2. MICHIGAN -- 7:58.714
3. UCLA -- 8:06.479
4. Wisconsin -- 8:13.361
5. Southern California -- 8:17.224
6. Michigan State -- 8:45.739
Second Varsity Four
1. Rutgers -- 7:40.499
2. MICHIGAN -- 7:55.140
3. Ohio State -- 5:57.536
4. Southern California -- 8:02.228
5. Iowa -- 8:06.935
6. Michigan State -- 8:30.326
Third Varsity Four
1. Rutgers -- 7:43.207
2. MICHIGAN -- 7:51.105
3. Ohio State -- 7:55.357
4. Iowa -- 7:58.010
5. Southern California -- 8:03.727
Third Varsity Eight
1. Rutgers -- 7:37.944
2. MICHIGAN -- 7:39.360
3. Indiana -- 7:59.891
4. Iowa -- 8:02.868
5. Michigan State -- 8:50.801
Fourth Varsity Eight
1. Washington -- 7:26.761
2. MICHIGAN -- 7:43.948
3. Ohio State -- 7:46.925
4. Indiana -- 8:17.973
5. Wisconsin -- 8:27.133
Michigan Lineups
1V8: Logan Roeder (coxswain), Olivia Carroll, Novella Rusman, Madeleine Lauriault, Jana Peachey, Ayelel Meyen, Ashley Mitchell, Lucy Hallett, Megan Higley
2V8: Isabela Pimentel (coxswain), Madeson Scott, Gretel Ham, Autumn Crowe, Marloes van der Zwart, Danelia Price-Hughes, Deanna Macolino, Zara Bongiorno, Sinéad Erasmus
1V4: Jenna Chaffin, Halle Loveday, Olive Pascoe, Ansley Vicars, Talia Daft (coxswain)
2V4: Maddy Matos, Avery Rodeheffer, Grace Hammis, Leija Murphy, Sophia Smith (coxswain)
3V4: Leah Miller, Kiley Locke, Ava Harrington, Ally Blomquist, Zoey Jacobs (coxswain)
3V8: Zulema Zunzunegui (coxswain), Sydney Swick, Megan Gornick, Sophia Stylianos, Ella Damratoski, Carly Walsh, Maddy Stagg, Reagan Weneck, Stella Fox
4V8: Catalina Echavarria (coxswain), Jane Kurkowski, Ava Fox, Ruby Jansen, Tacey Moore, Gabrielle Cahill, Mo Winstanley, Lydia Schultz, Winnie Bird
