Weekly Release #8

5/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Rowing

Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sun., May 28-30 -- at NCAA Championships (Sacramento, Calif.)

Michigan This Week
The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan women's rowing team heads to the NCAA Championships this Friday through Sunday (May 28-30) in Sacramento, Calif., to chase its first team national title. U-M has qualified for the national championships in each of the last seven seasons only failing to earn a bid in its inaugural campaign in 1997. The Maize and Blue first varsity eight, second varsity eight and first varsity four crews will be competing for individual boat championships and the team crown throughout the three-day event. The races will take place on Lake Natoma at the California State-Sacramento Aquatics Center.

Friday, May 28
I Varsity Eight	8:00 a.m.	Heat 1
	8:15 a.m.	Heat 2
	8:30 a.m.	Heat 3
II Varsity Eight	10:00 a.m.	Heat 1
	10:15 a.m.	Heat 2
I Varsity Four	11:00 a.m.	Heat 1
	11:15 a.m.	Heat 2
I Varsity Eight	4:00 p.m.	Repechage
Saturday, May 29
I Varsity Four	9:30 a.m.	Repechage
	9:45 a.m.	Repechage
II Varsity Eight	10:00 a.m.	Repechage
	10:15 a.m.	Repechage
I Varsity Eight	10:30 a.m.	Semifinal
	10:45 a.m.	Semifinal
	11:00 a.m.	(Places 13-16)
Sunday, May 30
I Varsity Four	10:30 a.m.	Petite Final
	10:45 a.m.	Grand Final
II Varsity Eight	11:00 a.m.	Petite Final
	11:15 a.m.	Grand Final
I Varsity Eight	11:45 a.m.	Petite Final
	Noon	Grand Final
Awards Ceremony	12:45

Live Results
As the host, California State University, Sacramento will be posting live results of the regatta throughout the weekend at www.hornetsports.com. Tickets for the 2004 NCAA Women's Rowing Championships can be obtained through the Sacramento State Ticket Office (916-278-2222) and at the CSUS Aquatic Center throughout the competition.

Matt the Meteorologist
For Friday, the temperature is predicted to reach 74 degrees and there is a 30 percent chance of rain. The rest of the weekend calls for temperatures in the low 80s with sunny skies and little chance of precipitation.

The Best of the Best
The NCAA Championships field is comprised of 12 teams that were ranked in the top 14 by the USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association in the final poll of the season (May 19). No. 9 Brown, No. 1 California, No. 4 Harvard, No. 8 Michigan, No. 14 Michigan State, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 2 Princeton, No. 5 Virginia, No. 6 Washington, No. 6 Washington State, No. 11 Wisconsin and No. 7 Yale all received team bids while No. 16 Notre Dame, No. 12 Southern California, No. 10 Tennessee and No. 13 Texas will compete solely in the first varsity eight races.

Championship Format
The NCAA Championships award a team title based on points earned by each team's boats, and boats can earn individual national championships in their respective categories: first varsity eight, second varsity eight and first varsity four. The schools that have only first varsity eight crews are not eligible for the team national championship.

The advancement formula for the first varsity eight begins in the three heats. The top three boats in each heat advance directly to one of the two semifinals. The remaining seven boats from all three heats then race in the repechage. The top three crews in the repechage then advance to fill the remaining spots in the semifinals. The four boats that do not make it out of the repechage have one final race for places 13-16. In the semifinals, the top three boats from each race advance to the grand final for places 1-6. The bottom three boats from each semifinal move to the petite final for places 7-12.

For the second varsity eight and first varsity four races there are two heats. The top boat from each heat advances directly to the grand final. The remaining boats compete in one of two repechages with the top two finishing boats advancing to the grand finals. The boats not advancing to the grand final are relegated to the petite final. See the chart below for the point breakdown determined by each boat's final finish.

Place-Points

Race	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
IV8	36	33	30	27	24	21	18	15	12	9	6	3
IIV8	24	22	20	18	16	14	12	10	8	6	4	2
IV4	12	11	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1

Who Gets to Go
The selection of teams for the NCAA Championships is determined by taking into account a large number of criteria. The selection of teams and individual boats was based on eligibility and availability of student-athletes; regional championship results; regional rankings; late-season performance; head-to-head results; results against teams/boats already selected; results against common opponents and results against regionally ranked teams/boats. One team from each of the five regions was selected and the remaining seven teams were selected at-large.

A Wealth of Knowledge
Fifteen of the 23 Wolverines slated to compete at the 2004 NCAA Championships have prior experience at the national meet. In fact, all nine members of the first varsity eight raced at the 2003 championships in Indianapolis, Ind. Six of U-M's rowers in that boat are holdovers from last season. There are three athletes apiece in the second varsity eight and first varsity four boats who have previously competed for the national title.

Last Week at the Central Region Sprints
Michigan's first day (May 15) at the Central Region Sprints went well as all four varsity boats advanced to their respective grand finals. The first varsity eight was very successful, winning both its heat and semifinal races. During the second day of competition (May 16) U-M was only able to earn a boat title in the second varsity four event and finished third in the region behind first-place Ohio State and runner-up Wisconsin. The first varsity eight fell to both Ohio State and Virginia in its race and wound up 4.5 seconds behind the winning Buckeyes at the finish line. Michigan's second varsity eight took second place behind Virginia in its race. The first varsity four had trouble in its race and crossed the line in sixth position. The second varsity four had a very strong effort and pulled away in its race to earn first-place honors by just over three seconds. U-M's novice crew placed first in its 'C' final. Virginia won the overall and South region championships with 404 points. Ohio State won the Central with 391 points while Wisconsin (363) edged the Wolverines (362) for second in the region.

Last Year at the NCAA Championships
Appearing in their sixth consecutive NCAA Championships, the 2003 Wolverines turned in a fourth-place finish. The first varsity eight won both its heat and semifinal races before finishing as the runner-up in the grand final, an all-time best for U-M's top boat. The second varsity eight was third in the petite final for a ninth-place overall finish. Finally, the first varsity four grabbed third place in its grand final event. Harvard won the team and first varsity eight championships. Brown and Washington finished second and third, respectively, ahead of Michigan.

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. Rothstein has guided the Wolverines to four Big Ten Conference titles (2000, '01, '03, '04) and five Central Region championships (1998, '99, '00, '01, '02).

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, 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).