Michigan
NCAA Semis/Repechage
Wolverines Put Second Boat in NCAA Grand Finals
5/27/2000 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
In a semifinal heat that featured six of the top 11 ranked teams in the nation, the No. 7-ranked Wolverines placed third to advance the Grand Final of the First Varsity Eight race on Sunday. Michigan started strong and stayed in a pack with Harvard, California and Washington throughout the entire race. As Washington and California pulled ahead, the race for third was a back-and-forth battle between Harvard and the Wolverines, with the third-place team advancing to the grand final. Michigan remained in fourth until a strong move put it ahead of Harvard at the 1,000-meter mark. After Harvard reclaimed the lead, Michigan used a strong sprint to reclaim third with about 250 meters remaining and finish with a time of 6:31.29.
By advancing to the grand final directly from its heat on Friday, the second varsity eight had the morning off, leaving the varsity four as the only other Michigan boat to row this morning. In its heat, the repechage (second chance) for the Varsity Four, California and Boston University advanced to the grand final by placing first and second, respectively. The Wolverines fell behind early and were unable to battle back to the front of the pack. Placing fifth in the heat, Michigan will face Harvard, Ohio State and Michigan State in the petite final on Sunday at 10 a.m.
The two boats in the grand finals (first varsity eight and second varsity eight) have the opportunity to win a national championship, as one is awarded for each of the three events and another for an overall team champion. All three of Michigan's boats will earn points for the Wolverines in the team competition, with the point scale weighted toward the first and second varsity eight races.
Michigan's first race Sunday morning is the petite final of the Varsity Four at 10 a.m. The grand final of the Second Varsity Eight is scheduled for 11 a.m. and the grand final of the First Varsity Eight is 11:40 a.m. The awards ceremony takes place approximately 12:15 p.m.
SATURDAY RESULTS
First Varsity Eight
Semifinal 1 1. Brown* 6:25.79 2. Virginia* 6:29.50 3. Princeton* 6:31.79 4. Boston University^ 6:33.50 5. Syracuse^ 6:45.39 6. Northeastern^ 6:45.79 Semifinal 2 1. Washington* 6:26.29 2. California* 6:30.70 3. MICHIGAN* 6:31.29 4. Harvard^ 6:34.70 5. Michigan State^ 6:37.70 6. Ohio State^ 6:39.50
U-M Lineup: Kate Johnson, Angela Bierhuizen, Melanie Duncan, Jaime Stilson, Jen Kinon, Sophie Roberge, Laurel Donnell-Fink, Alison Hickey, Belinda Koo (c)
Third Final (Places 13-19) 1. Yale 6:36.39 (13th) 2. Southern Cal 6:39.79 (14th) 3. Oregon State 6:40.39 (15th) 4. California-Davis 6:50.50 (16th) 5. Williams 6:53.50 (17th) 6. William Smith 6:53.70 (18th) 7. Wesleyan 7:08.10 (19th)
Second Varsity Eight
Repechage Heat 1. Washington* 6:46.20 2. California* 6:50.60 3. Michigan State^ 6:54.89 4. Harvard^ 6:58.00 5. Ohio State^ 6:59.89 6. Boston University^ 7:07.60
Varsity Four
Repechage Heat 1. California* 7:36.17 2. Boston University* 7:36.39 3. Harvard^ 7:39.25 4. Ohio State^ 7:42.17 5. MICHIGAN^ 7:52.66 6. Michigan State^ 7:55.01
U-M Lineup: Rachel Brunelle, Brooke Schulz, Justin Goble, Petra Juzwishin,
Carissa Bragg (c)
* Advance to Sunday's Grand Final (1-6 places) ^ Advance to Sunday's Petite Final (7-12 places for the First Varsity Eight and 7-10 for the Second Varsity Eight and Varsity Four)
Day 1 Results
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Mark Rothstein
On the first varsity eight advancing to the grand final ... "They did a good job. We knew it was going to be a challenge to get in there, but I thought we raced well. I thought we gave up a little too much ground in the second 500 meters, but we came back with a good third 500 meters. We pulled third, which is good enough to get into the grand final. If we can race a little better in the final, we could place pretty well."
On the boat making the needed adjustments ... "I think we rowed much better today than we did yesterday. You can see it in the results. You have to give them a lot of credit for being able to do that in a short period of time."
On his feelings going into the final day of competition ... "I really think our first and second varsity eight will really dig deep and do well tomorrow. This has been the focus of the entire season, and now is the time to see the results of the year's work."
Senior Jen Kinon (IV8 Five Seat)
On making the adjustments needed to get into the grand final ... "It's exciting. That's where we belong. We had a very good start. The starting 500 meters went well, and now we are going to work on the second 500 meters for tomorrow's final."
On the battle in the last 1,000 meters ... "It was good, and we respond well. We've been working on it. Michigan State had been walking on us in the last 500 all during the season, so that was something we had to focus on for this weekend. It paid off today against Harvard."
Contact: Jason Gerdom (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
