Michigan
Central/South Region Finals
Michigan Falters in Final Races at Central Region Event
5/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
Event: #7 Michigan at Central Region Championships
U-M Team Finish: 2nd Place (67 Points)
Next U-M Event: Fri-Sun., May 30-June 1 -- at NCAA Championships (Indianapolis, Ind.)
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. -- The No. 7 University of Michigan rowing team was unable to hold onto its Central Region title of the past five years as No. 10 Ohio State beat the Wolverines in four out of five races Sunday (May 18) to gain the regional crown at the Lexus Central/South Region Sprints. Michigan held a slight lead over the Buckeyes heading into the final events despite not having a victory in any of its five grand final races, however, the Maize and Blue could not hold on as it earned 67 points compared to OSU's 76.
Although Michigan did not win the Central Region, it will likely still earn an invitation to the NCAA Championships in two weeks (May 30-June 1) in Indianapolis, Ind. The first varsity eight, second varsity eight and first varsity four are the crews that are involved in the NCAA Championships. Ohio State and Virginia, the South Region winner, will likely receive automatic bids to the NCAA Championships.
Due to inclement weather forecasts, the order for the day was switched so that the first varsity eight grand final would start the day at 9 a.m. Michigan fell behind early in the race to OSU and No. 19 Tennessee as the first 500 meters were tightly contested. At the midpoint of the course U-M still trailed the Buckeyes and it was No. 12 Virginia that had taken the lead. At the 1,250-meter mark, the Maize and Blue had lost some ground and was nearly four seats off the pace. Michigan appeared to make a late push for first, but Virginia and Ohio State had better sprints to finish first and second, respectively. Michigan hit the finish line in 6:20.7, which was two seconds behind UVA.
The second varsity eight had Michigan's best race of the day. At 500 meters, U-M was head to head with No. 11 Michigan State, the Big Ten second varsity eight champion. With 1,000 meters to go, the Wolverines had also fallen behind Iowa and were battling with No. 12 Virginia for third. The second varsity eight turned it on down the stretch as it came from the outside lane to fight off Virginia and walk through Iowa to take second place in a time of 6:33.2, just 1.6 seconds behind the first-place Spartans. Through the first two grand finals, U-M held a 52-49 point advantage over OSU.
The first varsity four was a battle between Big Ten foes, with U-M trailing Ohio State and No. 15 Iowa through 500 meters. The Buckeyes and Hawkeyes remained first and second, respectively, into the middle of the race until the Wolverines closed in on and passed Iowa in the final 500 meters. Michigan narrowly missed out on a complete comeback as OSU held on for the victory by only a bow ball. At that point, U-M still had a lead of 63-61 over the Buckeyes in total points.
The second varsity four race was consistent throughout the 2,000 meters. Notre Dame took the lead early with Ohio State and then Michigan following. There was little movement during the competition except for Iowa, which snuck up on the Wolverines to grab third place in a photo finish (7:26.2 to 7:26.3). By finishing two places ahead of U-M, the Buckeyes knotted the point standings at 66.
Michigan finally relinquished the lead in the Central Region when OSU earned a second-place finish in the novice eight competition to earn five points while the Wolverines earned a single point in sixth place. OSU added five more points in the second novice eight race. U-M did not have a second novice eight boat participate.
With a likely bid to the NCAA Championships in hand, the Wolverines will be traveling to Indianapolis, Ind. for the competition on May 30-June 1. Complete results for the Lexus Central/South Sprints are available at Tennessee's site.
Final Team Standings
1. Ohio State* 76 2. Virginia* 70 3. MICHIGAN 67 4. Michigan State 58 5. Iowa 52 6. Tennessee 43 7. Texas 40 8. Notre Dame 35 9. Clemson 10 10. Minnesota 9 11. Duke 4 12. Miami (Fla.) 1 13. Cincinnati 0 Eastern Michigan 0 Indiana 0 Kansas 0 Kansas State 0 Louisville 0 North Carolina 0 Southern Methodist 0 Tulsa 0 * Ohio State wins Central Region title * Virginia wins South Region title
RESULTS
First Varsity Eight (Grand Final) 1. Virginia 6:18.7 2. Ohio State 6:19.2 3. MICHIGAN 6:20.7 4. Texas 6:23.1 5. Tennessee 6:24.4 6. Michigan State 6:28.2 Second Varsity Eight (Grand Final) 1. Michigan State 6:31.6 2. MICHIGAN 6:33.2 3. Iowa 6:34.9 4. Virginia 6:35.3 5. Ohio State 6:35.5 6. Notre Dame 6:42.5 First Varsity Four (Grand Final) 1. Ohio State 7:08.6 2. MICHIGAN 7:09.0 3. Iowa 7:11.8 4. Minnesota 7:15.8 5. Clemson 7:21.6 6. Michigan State 7:22.4 Second Varsity Four (Grand Final) 1. Notre Dame 7:20.4 2. Ohio State 7:24.1 3. Iowa 7:26.2 4. MICHIGAN 7:26.3 5. Tennessee 7:26.7 6. Michigan State 7:28.0 First Novice Eight (Grand Final) 1. Virginia 6:38.5 5. Michigan State 6:47.3 6. MICHIGAN 6:49.4
Day 1 Results
Michigan Lineups
First Varsity Eight -- Helen Dalis (coxswain), Erin Kopicki, Crystal Culp, Stesha Carl, Heather Mandoli, Leah Ketcheson, Brett Sickler, Kate Maxim, Katie Reynolds.
Second Varsity Eight -- Tara Medina (coxswain), Sarah Trowbridge, Emily Goodwin, Elizabeth Godek, Heather DeHainaut, Christin Plunkett, Laura Drongowski, Christina Ceo, Emke Bury.
First Varsity Four -- Louisa DiLeone (coxswain), Stephanie Shapiro, Elizabeth Kreger, Janine Hanson, Amy Coughlin.
Second Varsity Four -- Sarah O'Brien (coxswain), Pam Woll, Margot Woolley, Hillary Van Duyne, Emily Boggs.
N O T E S
Michigan's boats did not win a grand finals race for the first time since the Lexus Central Region Sprints began in 1997, when U-M was also blanked.
U-M's first varsity eight and first varsity four had winning streaks of nine races snapped today.
Q U O T E S
Head Coach Mark Rothstein
On the first varsity eight race ... "It was a great race. I think Virginia came out really fast and took control of the race during the second 500 meters. We responded pretty well, as did Ohio State, but we didn't have enough to catch them. I thought that our varsity boat raced hard, but we just didn't have what it took to win. We have two weeks to prepare for nationals and get stronger."
On if losing will motivate the first varsity eight ... "I don't know. I don't think they need any extra motivation for nationals. I think they will be excited to see how they stack up against all of the best crews in the country."
On the day as a whole for the team ... "I thought our second varsity eight did an outstanding job of preparing for this race. They really practiced hard the last two weeks and that certainly showed up today. The varsity four did a nice job. They lost a close race to Ohio State, but I thought they raced well. Overall, I am pleased with how we did. The goal of this regatta is to qualify for nationals and we achieved that. Now we have two weeks to get ready for that."
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
