Weekly Release #7

5/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Rowing

Upcoming Schedule
Sat-Sun., May 15-16 -- at Lexus Central/South Region Sprints (Oak Ridge, Tenn.)
Fri-Sun., May 28-30 -- at NCAA Championships (Sacramento, Calif.)

Michigan This Week
The No. 3-ranked University of Michigan rowing team continues its postseason this Saturday and Sunday (May 15-16) at the Lexus Central/South Region Sprints in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Saturday's preliminary races will begin at 9 a.m. and the finals will commence on Sunday also at 9 a.m. After a stunning triumph at the 2004 Big Ten Conference Championships two weeks ago, the Wolverines will be attempting to qualify for the NCAA Championships, which are May 28-30 in Sacramento, Calif. While 23 crews will be heading to the regatta, U-M will technically be competing against Cincinnati, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kansas State, No. 11 Michigan State, Minnesota, Murray State, No. 14 Notre Dame, No. 5 Ohio State and No. 10 Wisconsin. The South Region contains the other 10 schools. All of the 23 teams will compete against one another throughout the weekend; however, final standings will be determined based on the points accumulated as compared to regional opponents.

Saturday Morning Heats
I Novice Eight	9:00 a.m.	Heat 1
	9:10 a.m.	Heat 2
	9:20 a.m.	Heat 3
II Varsity Four	9:30 a.m.	Heat 1
	9:40 a.m.	Heat 2
I Varsity Four	9:50 a.m.	Heat 1
	10:00 a.m.	Heat 2
	10:10 a.m.	Heat 3
II Varsity Eight	10:20 a.m.	Heat 1
	10:30 a.m.	Heat 2
	10:40 a.m.	Heat 3
I Varsity Eight	10:50 a.m.	Heat 1
	11:00 a.m.	Heat 2
	11:10 a.m.	Heat 3
	11:20 a.m.	Heat 4

Michigan's heats are in bold

Saturday Afternoon Semifinals and Repechages
I Novice Eight	2:00 p.m.	Semifinal A
	2:10 p.m.	Semifinal B
II Varsity Four	2:20 p.m.	Repechage 1
I Varsity Four	2:30 p.m.	Semifinal A
	2:40 p.m.	Semifinal B
II Varsity Eight	2:50 p.m.	Semifinal C/D 1
	3:00 p.m.	Semifinal C/D 2
	3:10 p.m.	Semifinal A/B 1
	3:20 p.m.	Semifinal A/B 2
I Varsity Eight	3:30 p.m.	Semifinal C/D 1
	3:40 p.m.	Semifinal C/D 2
	3:50 p.m.	Semifinal A/B 1
	4:00 p.m.	Semifinal A/B 2

Sunday Finals
9:00 a.m.	II Varsity Eight	D Level Final
9:10 a.m.	I Varsity Eight	D Level Final
9:20 a.m.	I Novice Eight	C Level Final
9:30 a.m.	I Varsity Four	C Level Final
9:40 a.m.	II Varsity Eight	C Level Final
9:50 a.m.	I Varsity Eight	C Level Final
10:00 a.m.	II Novice Eight	A Level Final
10:10 a.m.	I Novice Eight	B Level Final
10:20 a.m.	I Novice Eight	A Level Final
10:30 a.m.	II Varsity Four	B Level Final
10:40 a.m.	II Varsity Four	A Level Final
10:50 a.m.	I Varsity Four	B Level Final
11:00 a.m.	I Varsity Four	A Level Final
11:10 a.m.	II Varsity Eight	B Level Final
11:20 a.m.	II Varsity Eight	A Level Final
11:30 a.m.	I Varsity Eight	B Level Final
11:40 a.m.	I Varsity Eight	A Level Final

Live Results
The University of Tennessee will serve as the host school for the Lexus Central/South Region Sprints. More information and results about the event can be found at utladyvols.com. Final results and award winners will be posted following the regatta.

Matt the Meteorologist
The forecast for Oak Ridge, Tenn., on Saturday calls for a high of 77 degrees with scattered thunderstorms being predicted with a 40 percent likelihood. Sunday's weather is expected to be similar to Saturday's with a high of 77 and possible thunderstorms. Slight winds are expected from the south all weekend.

Championship Format
The number of entries for each of the six events ranges from three (second novice eight) to 23 (first varsity eight). Each of the race classifications has preliminary heats on Saturday morning. Based on heat finishes boats advance to varying levels of semifinals that take place Saturday afternoon. From the semifinals, crews are placed into their final races on Sunday. Each boat earns points for its team based on its final finish on Sunday (see chart below).

Place-Points

Finish	IV8	IIV8	IV4	IIV4	IN8	2N8
1	207	126	54	30	8	3
2	198	120	51	28	7	2
3	189	114	48	26	6	1
4	180	108	45	24	5
5	171	102	42	22	4
6	162	96	39	20	3
7	153	90	36	18	2
8	144	84	33	16	1
9	135	78	30	14
10	126	72	27	12
11	117	66	24	10
12	108	60	21	8
13	99	54	18	6
14	90	48	15	4
15	81	42	12	2
16	72	36	9
17	63	30	6
18	54	24	3
19	45	18
20	36	12
21	27	6
22	18
23	9

Last Year at the Central Region Championships
Michigan had its streak of five straight Central Region championships snapped in 2003 as the Ohio State Buckeyes earned the regional crown on May 18 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The Wolverines placed first or second in all five of their heats and semifinals on May 17 to put all of their boats in the grand finals the following day. In the finals, the first varsity eight had its string of nine consecutive wins snapped as it finished third behind Virginia and Ohio State. The second varsity eight and first varsity four each earned second-place honors. Heading into the second varsity four and novice races U-M and OSU were tied for the points lead. However, the second varsity four's fourth-place finish and the first novice eight's sixth-place finish were not enough to keep up with the Buckeyes, who finished ahead of the Maize and Blue in the final races of the day.

Hail to the Victors!
Michigan garnered its fourth Big Ten Conference championship in four years on May 1 in Iowa City, Iowa. The Wolverines pulled off a come-from-behind victory courtesy of consecutive wins by the second varsity eight and first varsity eight to end the competition. The two boats combined to earn 105 of the 128 total points that U-M used to beat Wisconsin (115) and favorite Ohio State (112). In the other varsity races, the first varsity four earned 12 points with a fourth-place finish and the second varsity four took second to gain six points. The first and second novice eights picked up two and three points, respectively.

All-Big Ten
For their efforts at the Big Ten Championships, five Michigan rowers were named to the All-Big Ten teams. Heather Mandoli (Kelowna, B.C./KLO Secondary School), Katie Reynolds (Saint John, New Brunswick/Saint John HS) and Leah Ketcheson (Belleville, Ontario/Bayside SS) were selected as All-Big Ten first team members. Crystal Culp (Fonthill, Ontario/E.L. Crossley SS) and coxswain Tara Medina (Mill Bay, B.C./Brentwood) were part of the All-Big Ten second team.

Mandoli Named Big Ten Rower of the Year
Heather Mandoli, a senior who has rowed in the first varsity eight boat for two years, was elected as the Big Ten Conference Rower of the Year for 2004 on May 5. The accolade was determined by the Big Ten coaches. A Michigan athlete has been selected as the Big Ten Conference Rower of the Year four out of the five years that the league has sponsored rowing. Kate Johnson was given the laurel in 2000 and 2001, and Erin Kopicki earned the award last year.

Rothstein Honored as Big Ten Coach of the Year
Mark Rothstein, the only coach in the program's eight seasons, received on May 5 his third Big Ten Coach of the Year honor (2000, '01, '04) in the five years that the conference has sponsored the sport. He shared the 2000 award with Michigan State's BeBe Bryans. Rothstein's work has not gone unnoticed at the national level either. He was tabbed as the Collegiate Rowing Coaches' Association Central Region Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2001 and the National Coach of the Year in 2001.

What's the Deal with the Automatic Bid
The Central Region Championships winner does not receive the Central Region's automatic bid for the NCAA Championships. Bids for the national championships -- automatic and at-large -- are awarded based on several criteria. However, because of the level of competition and the late-season date of the regatta, results from the Central Region Championships are heavily considered in the selection process. The NCAA Championships run from May 28-30 on Lake Natoma in Sacramento, Calif.

Head of the Class
Sixteen Michigan rowers earned a Michigan Athletics Academic Achievement Award. The honor was given to student-athletes who had either a 3.0 cumulative GPA or two consecutive semesters with at least a 3.0 GPA. The honored athletes included: Carla Bezold (Alexandria, Va./Thomas Jefferson HS), Stesha Carl (Long Beach, Calif./Wilson HS), Amy Coughlin (Waterford, Mich./Waterford Mott HS), Heather DeHainaut (Vineland, N.J./Vineland HS), Elizabeth Godek (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS), Emily Goodwin (Honolulu, Hawaii/Forest Hills Central HS, Mich.), Amanda Kemnic (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville HS), Leah Ketcheson, Heather Mandoli, Amanda Martin (Alto, Mich./Caledonia), Christin Plunkett (Pittsford, Mich./Pittsford HS), Katie Reynolds (Saint John, N.B./Saint John HS), Stephanie Shapiro (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice HS), Brett Sickler (Los Gatos, Calif./Los Gatos HS), Ellen Tomek (Flushing, Mich./Powers Catholic) and Hillary Van Duyne (Flint, Mich./Carman-Ainsworth HS).

Probable Lineups
Based on Big Ten Championships lineups

First Varsity Eight coxswain: Tara Medina 8-seat: Stesha Carl 7-seat: Crystal Culp 6-seat: Katie Reynolds 5-seat: Heather Mandoli 4-seat: Leah Ketcheson 3-seat: Cristin McCarty 2-seat: Janine Hanson 1-seat: Emily Goodwin Second Varsity Eight coxswain: Julia Dalzell 8-seat: Tara Kass 7-seat: Sarah Trowbridge 6-seat: Emily Shea 5-seat: Elizabeth Godek 4-seat: Ellen Tomek 3-seat: Amy Coughlin 2-seat: Jourdan Lawlor 1-seat: Carla Bezold First Varsity Four coxswain: Louisa DiLeone 4-seat: Margot Woolley 3-seat: Heather DeHainaut 2-seat: Katie Polanic 1-seat: Christin Plunkett Second Varsity Four coxswain: Sarah O'Brien 4-seat: Vanessa Reid 3-seat: Chelsea MacMullan 2-seat: Stephanie Shapiro 1-seat: Hillary Van Duyne