Weekly Release #4

Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, April 13 -- at Buckeye Invitational (Columbus, Ohio)
Saturday, April 27 -- vs. TBA (Belleville, Mich.)

Complete Release in PDF (1 page, 59 KB)     

Michigan This Week
The eighth-ranked University of Michigan women's rowing team heads south for the Buckeye Invitational, hosted by Ohio State University, on Saturday (April 13) at the Griggs Reservoir on the Scioto River in Columbus, Ohio. The six-team event includes four teams -- No. 3 Ohio State, No. 8 Michigan, No. 12 Michigan State and No. 14 Texas -- ranked among the top 15 in the latest US Rowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches' Association poll (April 3). The Wolverines will race against Cincinnati and Clemson in the morning races, which begin at 9 a.m., and against Cincinnati and the Buckeyes in the afternoon races, which start at 1 p.m.

The Forecast
The forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies and a high of around 70 degrees on Saturday (April 13).

Last Year at the Buckeye Invitational
Then-fifth-ranked Michigan swept all 12 races in which it competed at the 2001 Buckeye Invitational. The Wolverines defeated boats from five teams ranked in the top 20 at the time, including two solid victories over then-No. 2 Southern California by the first varsity eight. The second varsity eight also won each of its races by no less than a boatlength.

Stayin' Alive
Michigan's second varsity eight extended its winning streak to 13 races after opening the 2002 season with a victory over Duke at the ACC/Big Ten Double Dual on Saturday, March 30, and a win over No. 12 Michigan State last weekend (Saturday, April 6). The streak began at the first regatta last year and lasted the entire season, as the boat won all of its races in 2001 and won a national title at the NCAA Women's Rowing Championships in Columbus, Ga.

New Look Wolverines
For the first time in a several years, the Wolverines have a completely different look. Gone are eight seniors who were mainstays in the two varsity eight boats, including Kate Johnson (1998-2001), who stroked the first varsity eight for all but two races in the last four years, and Melanie Duncan (1998-2001), who stroked the second varsity eight to an undefeated season in 2001. This season, the Wolverines have unveiled varsity eight lineups with 11 of 16 rowers who were new to their boat. Among the five freshmen in the two varsity eight lineups this spring are Leah Ketcheson (Belleville, Ontario/Bayside) and Brett Sickler (Los Gatos, Calif./Los Gatos HS), who stroked the first and second varsity eight boats, respectively.

Head Coach Mark Rothstein
Mark Rothstein is in his sixth year as the head coach of the Michigan rowing team. Rothstein, the only head coach in the program's history, has led the program from its conservative beginning to a second-place finish at the 2001 NCAA Rowing Championships, including a national championship by the second varsity eight. Each of the last two years he has guided the team to Big Ten championships and has been named the Big Ten and Midwest Region Coach of the Year. For his outstanding efforts in the 2001 season, he was selected as the National Coach of the Year.

Probable Lineups

VARSITY EIGHT Coxswain Helen Dalis Stroke Leah Ketcheson Seat 7 Tami McBratney Seat 6 Kate Maxim Seat 5 Heather Mandoli Seat 4 Erin Kopicki Seat 3 Sophie Roberge Seat 2 Katie Reynolds Bow Christina Meyer 2nd VARSITY EIGHT Coxswain Corrin Cunningham Stroke Brett Sickler Seat 7 Julie Brescoll Seat 6 Elizabeth Nelson Seat 5 Cristin McCarty Seat 4 Jenny Bryant Seat 3 Elizabeth Kreger Seat 2 Laura Drongowski Box Crystal Culp VARSITY FOUR Coxswain Tara Medina Stroke Angela Bierhuizen Seat 3 Emily Goodwin Seat 2 Christina Ceo Bow Emoke Bury