First Varsity Eight Leads Wolverines to Third at NCAAs

Sunday, May 30

Sacramento, Calif.

10:30 AM PT

Michigan

NCAA Finals

First Varsity Eight Leads Wolverines to Third at NCAAs

5/30/2004 12:00:00 AM | Rowing

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Site: Sacramento, Calif. (Lake Natoma)
Event: NCAA Championships
U-M Team Finish: 3rd Place of 12 Teams (52 Points)
U-M Results: First Varsity Eight -- 3rd Place in Grand Final
   Second Varsity Eight -- 4th Place in Grand Final
   First Varsity Four -- 3rd Place in Petite Final (9th Overall)
Next U-M Event: Season completed

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan women's rowing team fought its way to a third-place team finish today (Sunday, May 30) at the NCAA Championships on Lake Natoma. Thanks to a bronze-medal performance by the first varsity eight and a fourth-place finish by the second varsity eight, the Wolverines earned their highest team finish since 2001, when the Maize and Blue was second overall.

No. 9 Brown won both the first and second varsity eight grand finals en route to its fourth team championship. No. 7 Yale's runner-up performance in the first varsity eight was the catalyst for its second-place team finish.

The first varsity eight grand final was extremely tight at the start with less than half a length separating leader No. 1 California from sixth-place Michigan at the 500-meter mark. No. 2 Princeton, Brown, Yale and No. 3 Ohio State were all jammed in between. By 1,000 meters Brown had taken over the lead from Cal and would never relinquish it. U-M was still sitting back in sixth, but it would soon make its move. In the third leg of the race the Wolverines joined the Buckeyes in a push toward fourth. In the stretch run the Maize and Blue dramatically increased their speed as compared to the other crews and managed to sneak into third at the finish line in 6:37.1, which was roughly one boat back of Brown (6:32.9) and six seats behind Yale (6:34.6). The Wolverines' third-place finish was worth 30 points.

The second varsity eight grand final was highly contested down the entire course. Washington had the lead off the starting line, but the Wolverines caught the Huskies at 500 meters for a seat edge. At 1,000 meters, Brown roared out of the pack to take first over U-M by one seat. California was quickly moving up from third place. Brown picked up its stroke rate in the third 500 meters to increase its lead over the field to almost a full length. Cal finally caught the Maize and Blue to take second by two seats. Down the stretch, Brown eased into first (6:44.1) while there was a three-way battle for second. All three crews finished within 0.4 seconds of one another as it was Cal (6:46.8) that held on for the runner-up spot and Washington State (6:47.0) edged the Maize and Blue (6:47.2) by a bowball for third. The fourth-place finished gave U-M 18 points.

The first varsity four trailed in third place at the 500-meter mark of its petite final, three seats behind leader Wisconsin with Michigan State sandwiched in between. With a healthy lead over Princeton in fourth, the Wolverines were falling behind the leaders at the midpoint of the race. In the second half of the race, U-M's deficit increased as it trailed both UW and MSU by open water with 500 meters remaining. At the finish, the Badgers took first (7:32.5), the Spartans placed second (7:34.2), and Michigan (7:37.7) held off Princeton (7:39.5) for third. The third-place petite finish (ninth overall) gave Michigan three points.

Final Team Standings

 1. Brown 70 2. Yale 58 3. MICHIGAN 52 4. California 51 5. Washington 43 6. Princeton* 36 7. Virginia 36 8. Ohio State 33 9. Washington State 28 10. Harvard 24 11. Wisconsin 19 12. Michigan State 18 * won tiebreaker based on first varsity eight finish

Results (Day 3)

First Varsity Eight Grand Final 1. Brown 6:32.9 -- 36 points 2. Yale 6:43.6 -- 33 points 3. MICHIGAN 6:37.1 -- 30 points 4. Princeton 6:37.7 -- 27 points 5. Ohio State 6:38.9 -- 24 points 6. California 6:40.1 -- 21 points Petite Final 1. Washington 6:37.8 -- 18 points 2. Harvard 6:38.4 -- 15 points 3. Virginia 6:38.6 -- 12 points 4. Tennessee 6:41.1 5. Notre Dame 6:44.0 6. Southern California 6:44.1 C Final (Saturday) 1. Michigan State 6:47.0 -- 9 points 2. Washington State 6:50.5 -- 6 points 3. Texas 6:51.2 4. Wisconsin 6:52.8 -- 3 points Second Varsity Eight Grand Final 1. Brown 6:44.1 -- 24 points 2. California 6:46.8 -- 22 points 3. Washington State 6:47.0 -- 20 points 4. MICHIGAN 6:47.2 -- 18 points 5. Yale 6:50.4 -- 16 points 6. Washington 6:50.41-- 14 points Petite Final 1. Virginia 6:48.8 -- 12 points 2. Wisconsin 6:51.0 -- 10 points 3. Harvard 6:53.7 -- 8 points 4. Princeton 6:54.0 -- 6 points 5. Michigan State 6:54.4 -- 4 points 6. Ohio State 6:55.1 -- 2 points First Varsity Four Grand Final 1. Virginia 7:27.5 -- 12 points 2. Washington 7:30.8 -- 11 points 3. Brown 7:32.2 -- 10 points 4. Yale 7:34.4 -- 9 points 5. California 7:39.3 -- 8 points 6. Ohio State 7:39.9 -- 7 points Petite Final 1. Wisconsin 7:32.5 -- 6 points 2. Michigan State 7:34.2 -- 5 points 3. MICHIGAN 7:37.7 -- 4 points 4. Princeton 7:32.5 -- 3 points 5. Washington State 7:41.1 -- 2 points 6. Harvard 7:46.4 -- 1 point

Previous Results: Day 1 | Day 2

Michigan Lineups

First Varsity Eight: Tara Medina (coxswain), Stesha Carle, Crystal Culp, Katie Reynolds, Heather Mandoli, Leah Ketcheson, Brett Sickler, Janine Hanson, Emily Goodwin.