Michigan
NCAA Heats
U-M Fares Well on First Day of NCAA Championships
5/26/2000 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
Event: #7 Michigan at NCAA Championships (Day 1)
U-M Results: First Varsity Eight -- 2nd in Heat, Advances to Semifinal on Saturday
Second Varsity Eight -- 2nd in Heat, Advances to Grand Final on Sunday
Varsity Four -- 5th in Heat, Advances to Repechage Heat on Saturday
Next U-M Event: Sat-Sun., May 27-28 -- at NCAA Championships (Camden, N.J.)
CAMDEN COUNTY, N.J. -- The University of Michigan women's rowing team concluded the first day of the 2000 NCAA Rowing Championships on Friday (May 26) with the first varsity eight and second varsity eight each finishing second in its heat and advancing directly to the next round. The first varsity eight will row in the semifinals on Saturday (May 27), while the second varsity eight does not have to row until the grand final on Sunday (May 28). The varsity four qualified for the repechage (second chance) heat in its event for a chance to qualify for the grand final of the Varsity Four race.
With the top two boats advancing on to the semifinals and the remaining boats moving on the repechage heats later in the day, the battle for first and second in each of the First Varsity Eight heats was intense. For Michigan, it was a margin of just one-tenth of a second over Harvard that allowed the Wolverines to advance directly to the semifinals and avoid a second race today.
After a fast start, Michigan and Harvard were out in front after 100 meters. By the 750-meter mark, Virginia had taken a slight lead, with U-M, Harvard and Michigan State tightly packed. Between the 1,000- and 1,250-meter marks, the Cavaliers opened their lead and Harvard pulled slightly ahead of Michigan. The Wolverines made a move and regained second over the next 150 meters heading into the final 500 meters. In the sprint, Virginia jumped out to a comfortable lead, but Michigan, Harvard and Michigan State were bunched extremely tightly through the finish. After a 20-minute delay while the officials looked at the tape of the finish, the Wolverines were determined to have crossed the line just 0.10 seconds ahead of Harvard with a time of 6:25.50. Brown, the defending national champion, recorded the fastest time of the day with a 6:18.32 in the third heat.
In a strong performance against two other national powers, Michigan beat Washington and finished second to Brown in the first heat of the Second Varsity Eight race to advance directly to the grand final on Sunday (May 28). The Wolverines, along with the Huskies and the Bears, led a three-boat pack that pulled ahead of the Harvard and Michigan State by the 750-meter mark. By the halfway point of the race, Michigan had a lead with Washington in second. However, Brown put on a move to thrust into first. U-M responded to stay in second place over the Huskies. In the final 500 meters, Brown pulled ahead, while Michigan was able to remain in second with a time of 6:34.00. Brown's time of 6:29.89 was the fastest time of the day among all second varsity eight boats.
In the first race of the day, Michigan's varsity four boat advanced to Saturday's repechage heats for another opportunity to advance to the grand final on Sunday. With Washington and Princeton out in front early, the Wolverines were battling for third through the first 1000 meters. Ohio State pulled ahead, and Michigan's move was ineffective, leaving the Wolverines in a battle for fourth with Michigan State. The boat held off the Spartans until the final 100 meters, when MSU's sprint put the Wolverines in fifth at the finish line with a time of 7:37.39. Washington won the heat with a time of 7:19.10, the fastest time of the day for a varsity four.
Saturday's schedule for Michigan has the varsity four rowing in the repechage heats at 10 a.m. and the first varsity eight competing in the semifinals, which begin at 11 a.m.
FRIDAY RESULTS
First Varsity Eight (Preliminary Heats)
Heat 1 1. Virginia* 6:22.79 2. MICHIGAN* 6:25.50 3. Harvard 6:25.60 4. Michigan State 6:25.70 5. Boston University 6:35.20 6. Wesleyan 7:10.79
U-M Lineup: Kate Johnson, Angela Bierhuizen, Melanie Duncan, Jaime Stilson, Jen Kinon, Sophie Roberge, Laurel Donnell-Fink, Alison Hickey, Belinda Koo (c)
Heat 2 1. Washington* 6:23.60 2. Princeton* 6:28.10 3. Southern Cal 6:35.10 4. Ohio State 6:38.29 5. Northeastern 6:43.50 6. William Smith 6:46.39 Heat 3 1. Brown* 6:18.29 2. California* 6:26.20 3. Syracuse 6:35.79 4. Oregon State 6:39.89 5. California-Davis 6:47.20 6. Williams 6:52.00 7. Yale 7:24.39 * Automatically advance to semifinals
Second Varsity Eight
Heat 1 1. Brown* 6:29.89 2. MICHIGAN* 6:34.00 3. Washington 6:36.60 4. Harvard 6:49.60 5. Michigan State 7:02.10
U-M Lineup: Sera Coppolino, Liz Glenn, Liz Nelson, Christine Meyer, Jenny Bryant, Julie Brescoll, Kate Maxim, Tamara McBratney, Helen Dalis (c)
Heat 2 1. Virginia* 6:34.60 2. Princeton* 6:38.39 3. California 6:42.20 4. Ohio State 6:53.10 5. Boston University 7:07.50 * Automatically advance to grand final
Varsity Four
Heat 1 1. Washington* 7:19.10 2. Princeton* 7:22.50 3. Ohio State 7:30.00 4. Michigan State 7:35.50 5. MICHIGAN 7:37.39
U-M Lineup: Rachel Brunelle, Brooke Schulz, Justin Goble, Petra Juzwishin,
Carissa Bragg (c)
Heat 2 1. Brown* 7:19.39 2. Virginia* 7:19.70 3. Boston University 7:22.29 4. Harvard 7:27.10 5. California 7:31.29 * Automatically advance to grand final
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Mark Rothstein
On the first varsity eight ... "We obviously had a very close and competitive heat in the first varsity eight. The had to review the tape to see who was in second, and we were fortunate to come in second and not have to go to the repechage heat this afternoon. I don't think they raced real well in the first 1,000 meters, but they did a nice job of coming back. I think they did a nice job of regrouping in the middle of a race -- which can be a really tough thing to do -- to come back strong."
On the second varsity eight ... "They were in a really fast heat. They did a nice job of coming in second and beating a good Washington crew."
On the varsity four ... "Our four did not have a good race this morning, but I think they will race much better tomorrow. The need to be more aggressive and row a little higher (rate) to have a chance to get into the final."
On his feelings after the first day of competition ... "I think we're in a good position. We have one boat in a final, and our goal is to have all three in their finals. I think our other two boats have a big challenge in front of them, but they're capable of getting in there."
U-M Senior Belinda Koo (IV8 Coxswain)
On the race ... "We didn't row the race we wanted to. We were a little down off the start, from our perspective. We had a good rhythm, but we didn't start clicking together until the second thousand [meters]."
On the winds ... "I think we need to row better in a tailwind. I can't blame anything on the weather because everyone is in the same conditions, but we do need to clean up a lot of stuff."
On tomorrow's semifinal ... "I feel confident in knowing that my crew knows that we didn't have a good race and is out there to just have a good race tomorrow. That is their sole goal. We have a new focus, so that that will carry us in the semifinals."
Contact: Jason Gerdom (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
