Weekly Release #5

4/14/2004 12:00:00 AM | Rowing

Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, April 17 -- at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.)
Saturday, May 1 -- at Big Ten Championships (Iowa City, Iowa)

Michigan This Week
The No. 8-ranked Michigan women's rowing team wraps up its short regular season at 11 a.m. this Saturday (April 17) when it travels to East Lansing, Mich., to face No. 10 Michigan State on Lake Ovid in Sleepy Hollow State Park. The highlight of the event is the Pontiac Challenge Cup point that is up for grabs for the two rivals. This marks the first time the U-M and MSU rowing teams will be involved in the recently formalized intrastate competition. There will be seven total events, including two novice races and five varsity sprints. Six events, excluding the third varsity four race, will be worth a weighted amount of points that contribute to determining a winner for the Pontiac Challenge Cup point.

Schedule of Events

11:00 a.m.	Third Varsity Four
11:15 a.m.	Second Novice Eight
11:30 a.m.	First Novice Eight
11:45 a.m.	Second Varsity Four
Noon	First Varsity Four
12:15 p.m.	Second Varsity Eight
12:30 p.m.	First Varsity Eight

Coach Mark Rothstein Says ...
"We're excited to race Michigan State. They are clearly one of the top programs in the country and anytime we race them we know we have to race our best to have a chance to win. I have a lot of respect for MSU's coaches and program. It's great for both programs to have a competitive instate rivalry."

Pontiac Challenge Cup
The Pontiac Challenge Cup was introduced on Sept. 17, 2003, with the intention of creating more interest across all sports between intrastate rivals Michigan and Michigan State. The 23 sports that the two universities have in common are placed into one of three season: fall, winter or spring. The winner of each head-to-head competition between U-M and MSU is awarded a point that contributes to the seasonal total. In the fall, the Wolverines earned the first Pontiac Challenge Cup by a score of 5.5 to 0.5. U-M held onto the traveling trophy following the winter season as the school's tied 3-3. Thus far in the spring season, Michigan holds a 1.0-0.5 lead over the Spartans. The spring lead is up for grabs this weekend. Whoever wins the rowing point will garner the advantage with just 3.5 points still in play.

The Pontiac Challenge Cup point for rowing will be awarded based on overall team performance at the regatta. The team winning each race will receive points, which will be added up at the end of the day to determine who receives the Pontiac Challenge Cup point.

First Varsity Eight	9
Second Varsity Eight	6
First Varsity Four	3
Second Varsity Four	1
First Novice Eight	3
Second Novice Eight	1

More on the Pontiac Challenge Cup.

Matt the Meteorologist
The forecast for Saturday in East Lansing, Mich., calls for a high of 67 degrees with partly cloudy skies. Slight winds are being predicted out of the southeast.

On Michigan State
No. 10 Michigan State is guided by fifth-year head coach Bebe Bryans. This week, the Spartans are hosting their only home regatta of their season following successful racing last weekend. On April 10, MSU swept the varsity and novice races against the likes of No. 17 Notre Dame, Indiana and Purdue. Michigan has seen the Spartans this season, but MSU did not boat any of its varsity eights when it visited Belleville Lake on March 27. At that event, Michigan State only raced three varsity four boats. MSU on the Web: www.msuspartans.com.

Last Week for the Maize and Blue
No. 8 Michigan had an off-and-on day at the ACC/Big Ten Double Dual in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday, April 10. The morning was extremely good to the Wolverines as they swept No. 20 Duke. The first varsity eight won by a boat lengh, 6:49.2 to 6:53.2. The second varsity blew away its competition in 6:43.6 as the Blue Devils finished at 7:02.5. The varsity four completed the sweep with an open-water victory over Duke, 7:45.7 to 8:01.6.

In the afternoon against No. 6 Virginia, the Maize and Blue could only pull out one victory, which came from the first varsity four. The first varsity eight lost by six seats to the Cavaliers, 6:38.0 to 6:39.8. U-M's second varsity eight lost by open water with a time of 7:02.7 compared to UVA's 6:55.0. The varsity four prevented the sweep with a win by two boat lengths, 7:45.3 to 7:53.5.

Four for Four
Michigan's first varsity four has won three consecutive races after falling in its first competition of the season on March 27 on Belleville Lake. Since then, the four has reeled off victories over Ohio State (April 3), Duke (April 10) and Virginia (April 10). Coxswain Julia Dalzell (Berkeley, Calif./Miramonte HS), Emily Goodwin (Honolulu, Hawaii/Forest Hills Central HS, Mich.), Emily Shea (Shelburne Falls, Mass./Deerfield Academy), Carla Bezold (Alexandria, Va./Thomas Jefferson HS) and Margot Woolley (Belle Mead, N.J./Hun School of Princeton) have been in U-M's top four during the streak.

Oh Canada!
Michigan's first varsity eight (including coxswain) has included seven Canadians from five provinces throughout the spring campaign. Coxswain Tara Medina (Mill Bay, B.C./Brentwood College School), Heather Mandoli (Kelowna, B.C./KLO SS), Cristin McCarty (Saskatoon, Sask./Bishop James Mahoney SS), Janine Hanson (Winnipeg, Man./St. Mary's Academy), Crystal Culp (Fonthill, Ontario/E.L. Crossley SS), Leah Ketcheson (Belleville, Ontario/Bayside SS) and Katie Reynolds (Saint John, N.B./Saint John HS) are seven of the team's 10 student-athletes who hail from the Great White North.

Big Blue Boat
The 2003 first varsity eight garnered a school-record three Big Ten Conference Boat of the Week awards and went on to win a Big Ten championship. Prior to 2003, the most Big Ten Boat of the Week awards that the first varsity eight had earned was two in 2001.

Head Coach Mark Rothstein
Mark Rothstein is in his eighth year as the head coach of the Michigan rowing team. Rothstein, the only head coach in the program's history, has guided the Maize and Blue to the NCAA Championships for sixth straight seasons. In 2003, Rothstein guided the first varsity eight to a runner-up finish, its best ever showing, at the NCAA Championships en route to a fourth-place team finish. At the 2001 NCAA Championships, U-M had a school-best second-place finish, highlighted by a national boat title by the second varsity eight. He has led the team to three of the four Big Ten Conference championships (2000, '01, '03). In 2000 and 2001 he was named the Big Ten and Central Region Coach of the Year. For his efforts during the 2001 season, he was selected as the National Coach of the Year.

Probable Lineups
Based on last week's boat assignments

First Varsity Eight -- Tara Medina (coxswain), Leah Ketcheson, Stesha Carl, Crystal Culp, Cristin McCarty, Heather Mandoli, Elizabeth Godek, Janine Hanson, Katie Reynolds.