Conqu'ring Heroes 204 - Mark Rothstein Transcript
5/21/2026 8:26:00 AM | MGoBlue Podcasts
Jon Jansen • 00:00
Mark Rothstein has been the only coach that the Michigan women's rowing program has ever known. He's been there for a long time. He knows the ins and outs, everything that's going on, not only in his program, but in the world of women's rowing. He joins us next to talk about their trip to the NC Two A's. Head coach Mark Rostein in just a few moments on Conqu'ring Heroes.
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Jeff Laurence • 00:27
Welcome to your one stop podcast for all things Michigan athletics. Updates on every team on campus and interviews with players and coaches are all on the way. This is Conqu'ring Heroes. Here's your host, Jon Jansen.
Jon Jansen • 00:41
Coach, thanks for joining me. You're in your thirty fifth year. I mean, what is it that keeps you coming back for more and how long are you going to do this?
Mark Rothstein • 00:52
Yeah, that's a good question. I don't know, but I know I got a few more years in me, so keep doing it as long as it's fun. And, and you know, I think the kids keep you young. You know, they're, I keep getting older, but they keep staying the same age. So it's, it's a lot of fun to be around college age students. They're just, they're really great, great team, great people and it's a lot of fun.
Jon Jansen • 01:21
So we'll get into the big tens. I know you guys made the ncaa's for an eighteenth straight year with, we'll talk about those in a moment. But with so much change that's going on in college athletics, how much has it hit rowing and how much has it changed in your thirty five years?
Mark Rothstein • 01:39
It's, it's, you know, it's definitely changed. But you know that old saying, more things change, more they stay the same. I think it still comes down to, you know, relationships and pushing people out of their comfort zone and bring people together to work as a team. All those things are exactly the same as they were, you know, thirty years ago. So that's really, those fundamentals are really what we keep coming back to.
Jon Jansen • 02:07
So last weekend you guys were down in Windy Indy and for at least two of the three days, the name was appropriate. You guys had some challenges. I know you guys were supposed to kick things off on Saturday, but those races were moved to Friday night. How did you see your team handle the change in, in, in the schedule?
Mark Rothstein • 02:28
Yeah, we handled it well. I, I think, you know, that's not unusual in rowing where we would, I would say maybe a third of the regattas. You go to big regattas like that. The schedule is not what the Original schedule was you end up changing something and, and so we're pretty used to
Jon Jansen • 02:49
that on Friday night. I know you guys train on Belleville Lake, so you guys aren't are used to wind and, and weather, but it was really windy Friday night. How does that change? What adjustments, if any, do you make or do you tell your rowers when they're rowing in seas like that?
Mark Rothstein • 03:07
Yeah, a little bit of technical changes. You know, you have to carry your blade a little bit higher, make sure it doesn't get caught on a wave and some things like that, but nothing, nothing too drastic. It's something we practice in and we're used to. And I thought for the most part we handled it pretty well.
Jon Jansen • 03:29
All your boats made the finals and participated on Sunday. What did you see from your team starting with that first boat that took off at the believe it was seven forty nine. The one thing that amazes me is the race schedule and how, how that schedule, once it's set, you guys stay on it like to the minute. But how did your team perform on Sunday?
Mark Rothstein • 03:55
Well, I thought that first race, which was our fourth eight, had a really nice race, their best race of the year. And so that was a great way to start the regatta. I thought our third eight also had a really nice race. Our second eight had a really nice race. You know, we're still trying to figure out our first eight. We haven't really performed the way we'd like in that event. So that's been an ongoing quest and it's continuing. And so we'll, we'll see if we can get things going a little bit better in that boat.
Jon Jansen • 04:40
So I gave away the answer because yesterday you guys were sitting around waiting to see if you guys were going to make that eighteenth straight ncaa's. You did how much anxiety. What were you doing when you got the news that you guys were going to be heading down to Gainesville at the end of the month?
Mark Rothstein • 04:55
Yeah, I mean, we were all together. We watched the selection show as a team and I can tell you the team was really excited because we knew it was, you know, I told him, I think it's fifty, fifty. And so we fell on the right side of that. And we're, we're fortunate because that could have gone either way. And there's always, I mean, every year that the committee has a tough, tough job to figure out those last few teams. And so we were lucky to get in, frankly. And we're going to make the most of it.
Jon Jansen • 05:30
How tough is the Big Ten right now? Obviously, Washington came in when the Big Ten expanded. They've been a tremendous program. I know Rutgers has kind of seemingly feels like they've come out of nowhere. How good is the Big Ten with four teams getting bids to the NCAA Tournament?
Mark Rothstein • 05:50
Yeah, I mean, it's a, It's a great league. I think it's one of the top rowing conferences. It has been for a long time. And I think clearly adding Washington is a real game changer because they've historically been one of the top programs in the country. And that goes back to nineteen ninety seven, the very first year of the NCAA championship that they won. And they've won more than any other program. So they're, they're, you know, they. And they have a great history of rowing that goes back to the, you know, the boys in the boat. If anyone's read that book, it goes back to those days. So, I mean, it's been, it's been strong for years, and so it's great having them in the conference. Ucla, usc, also really good program. So, yeah, the Big Ten is strong and, and that's good for everybody.
Jon Jansen • 06:46
Has the expansion of the Big Ten changed anything that you do in the program there at Michigan,
Mark Rothstein • 06:53
other than having to travel to the West Coast a little bit more? No, I mean, it really doesn't. Doesn't affect our approach, but I think it's, you know, this happened when Ohio State was really fast, when in, you know, about ten years ago, and they were winning national championships. I think that, that affected us in a really positive way because we, we were coming in second every year to them. And I think finally our team just got sick of that and, you know, really found a new level because we had to. And so I think when you, when you have competition around you, you. You find something within yourself to take it to a new level. And that's, that's what we need to do at Michigan.
Jon Jansen • 07:42
What does the training look like? I mentioned Gainesville, and probably everybody's thinking it's Gainesville, Ford. It's not. It's Gainesville, Georgia. What does the schedule from now until you guys depart for. For Georgia and ultimately start competing on the twenty ninth?
Mark Rothstein • 07:57
Yeah, so we, we just. I just got off the water about five minutes ago. We, we. We just finished a double session here. And then we'll continue training on Belleville through Friday. And then we're going. We're heading down to Atlanta on Saturday and we'll train down there for a few days. And then, and then the competition starts on Friday and heats are on Friday. Semis are on Saturday and finals are on Sunday.
Jon Jansen • 08:30
How much you mentioned you're still tinkering with the. The first V eight. How, when, when will you decide who the girls are that are going to be in that boat?
Mark Rothstein • 08:40
Yeah, I'll tell them. Like, you'll know when you push off the dock for the race. Like, I don't know, it'll be an ongoing process. And you know, Jon, it's probably kind of similar when you, you know, to an offensive line. You know, it's like you tinker with it, you try things, and you might have seven or eight really good offensive linemen, but only five can start. And, you know, you like to have cohesiveness, you like to have it set for a while, but sometimes, you know, sometimes it comes down like this season, where you're looking at right to the end. So that's just where we are. And, and we, I think we have, we have a lot of speed to gain and we're just going to keep. Keep trying to get faster.
Jon Jansen • 09:30
You had three, all Big Ten performers, and one of them was your coxswain, Logan Roeder. You also had two rowers, Maddie Lauriault and Jana Peachey. Just talk about those three athletes and what they have meant to your program and continue to mean to your program.
Mark Rothstein • 09:48
Yeah, I mean, really, like three of my favorite people, it's just really great attitudes, great leaders. All three have had their best season their senior year and just, you know, the kind of people that represent Michigan rowing exactly the way and represent the University of Michigan exactly the way, you know, you would want somebody to do so. And just good students, really, just outstanding people. So really proud of them, really thankful to them for all they've done for us and hoping to send them out on a great note.
Jon Jansen • 10:34
You've been one of the most consistent programs that Michigan has had and you've been the only coach, as I mentioned we talked about at the beginning. But this is your eighteenth consecutive bid to the NC two a's what is it that drives that consistency but also striving for more and more excellence?
Mark Rothstein • 10:52
Yeah, I mean, you know, right now it feels like we. It doesn't feel like we're being consistent. Feels like we had an off year based on our standards. And, you know, I sort of told the team, like, this is a new season now. Like, let's. We got two weeks, let's attack it. Let's, let's, you know, let's. Let's make the most of this opportunity. But, you know, it's like we're just in it. Like we're in the trenches, we're, we're constantly trying to get better, constantly trying to bring in better athletes, better recruits. And so I don't, I don't know, I don't really think about it that way. I just think about, like, we're trying to, to get better every day and, and, and I think by doing that, I guess that leads to consistency.
Jon Jansen • 11:50
Well, Coach, we wish you the best of luck. And before I let you go, I'm not going to ask you about anybody specifically, but I do want to know. You mentioned you're going to be coaching for a few more years. What are the expectations you have for this year's freshman class?
Mark Rothstein • 12:04
You know, this was a great freshman class and this was a really young team. And I think we had at various times three or four freshmen first year rowers at Michigan. In our first eight, we had a really strong novice group and coach Gabby Graves did a great job with that group. And you know, I think like there's, there's a strong base and so my expectation is, you know, that they're gonna, they're gonna be a big part of us getting back to winning Big Ten championships.
Jon Jansen • 12:44
Well, Coach, I appreciate your time. Good luck down in Gainesville, Georgia. We'll keep an eye on things that are going down there. And we wish you the best of luck, Jon.
Mark Rothstein • 12:52
I appreciate it. I really thank, thank you for having me. And go blue.
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Jon Jansen • 13:03
Well, thanks to Mark Rothstein, who's the head coach, the only head coach, the women's program here at Michigan, the rowing program has ever known. And we want to thank you for listening all season long. As of now, this is our very last Conqu'ring Heroes for this season. We'll pop in and out throughout the summer. So for the, the academic or the athletic year, we're signing off and it is. We'll talk to you soon. Thanks for listening to Conqu'ring Heroes.
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Jeff Laurence • 13:32
Thanks for listening to Conqu'ring Heroes with Jon Jansen. Conqu'ring Heroes is part of our Michigan Athletics Podcast network, M GO Blue Podcasts. The preceding has been a Learfield presentation of the Michigan Sports Network.
