Michigan
Michigan State
Michigan Rowers Battle Wind, Michigan State
4/16/2000 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
Event: #16 Michigan State at #7 Michigan
U-M Results: First Varsity Eight -- Lost to Michigan State
Second Varsity Eight -- Defeated Michigan State
First Varsity Four -- Lost to Michigan State
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 29 -- Big Ten Championships (Madison, Wis.), 8 a.m. CDT
YPSILANTI, Mich. -- For the second consecutive day, the University of Michigan women's rowing team's first varsity eight boat was involved in a split-second finish with its opponent. This time, however, the result was not favorable for the seventh-ranked Wolverines as they fell to No. 16 Michigan State by 0.51 seconds on Sunday (April 16) at Ford Lake after defeating Ohio State by 0.67 seconds the previous morning.
In the other two NCAA events, Michigan's second varsity eight won its race, while the first varsity four fell to the Spartans.
In the First Varsity Eight race, Michigan fell behind early but was able to close the gap after 500 meters. Michigan then made a move to take a six-seat lead by the halfway point in the race. The Spartans closed that gap and had the race tied at the 1,500-meter mark. The wind, which had been strong the entire morning, then made its mark as the teams were rowing into a strong cross-headwind which created a slight wake for the remainder of the race. In the sprint, Michigan fell behind by two seats with 200 meters remaining. The crew was able to close the gap but could not overtake the Spartans, who crossed the line with a time of 6:41.64.
Michigan's second varsity eight continued its winning ways with a decisive victory over Michigan State. The Wolverines jumped out to an early lead and held it the entire race. By the 1,000-meter mark, they had a boat-length lead and then expanded that to win by open water with a time of 6:47.91.
The First Varsity Four started strong, but Michigan State took a lead at the halfway point of the race. Michigan entered a novice four in the race, and that boat also trailed at the 1,000-meter mark. With 500 meters remaining, the Spartans had an open-water lead and held that margin for the remainder of the race. Michigan's first varsity four finished second, and the novice four was third.
Michigan's second varsity four took an early lead on the Spartans and held it throughout the race. The boat finished with a time of 7:51.35, more than 10 seconds faster than Michigan State.
Both of Michigan's novice boats fell to the Spartans. In the first novice eight, Michigan took an early lead, but Michigan State had the race tied by the 1,000-meter mark. In the last 500 meters, the Spartans' boat veered off to the right of the buoy line due to the strong winds, but still outlasted the Wolverines. In the second novice eight, Michigan kept the race tight until the end when Michigan State pulled out and won by less than three seconds.
The Wolverines take a weekend off for finals and then return to the water on Saturday, April 29, for the inaugural Big Ten Conference Championships, hosted by the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis. The battle for conference supremacy is a one-day event with prelims and qualifying in the morning and the finals in the afternoon.
Final Results
First Varsity Eight
1. Michigan State 6:41.64 2. MICHIGAN 6:42.15
Second Varsity Eight
1. MICHIGAN 6:47.91 2. Michigan State 6:56.77
First Varsity Four
1. Michigan State 7:39.71 2. MICHIGAN "A" 7:48.77 3. MICHIGAN "B" 8:13.21
Second Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN 7:51.35 2. Michigan State 8:02.34
First Novice Eight
1. Michigan State 7:02.68 2. MICHIGAN 7:04.97
Second Novice Eight
1. Michigan State "A" 7:27.02 2. MICHIGAN 7:29.88 3. Michigan State "B" 7:36.56
Contact: Jason Gerdom (734) 763-4423
