Weekly Release #2

Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, April 2 -- vs. Ohio State (Belleville, Mich.)
Saturday, April 9 -- vs. Michigan State, Brown (Columbus, Ohio)

Michigan This Week
The No. 4-ranked Michigan women's rowing hosts its first home event of the season on Saturday (April 2) when the fifth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes visit Belleville Lake in Belleville, Mich. Racing will commence at 10 a.m. with the novice boats and wrap up at 11:15 when the first varsity eight crews go head-to-head.

Schedule of Events

Second Novice Eight	10 a.m.
First Novice Eight	10:15 a.m.
Second Varsity Four	10:30 a.m.
First Varsity Four	10:45 a.m.
Second Varsity Eight	11 a.m.
First Varsity Eight	11:15 a.m.

Matt the Meteorologist
The forecast for Saturday in Belleville, Mich., calls for a high of 43 degrees with a mix of rain and snow possible. Winds are expected out of the northwest.

On Ohio State
The No. 5-ranked Buckeyes are under the direction of Andy Teitelbaum, who is in his 10th season. OSU saw the Wolverines last weekend when it hosted the ACC/Big Ten Double Dual, although the Big Ten rivals did not compete against one another. Ohio State's first varsity eight defeated both Duke and Virginia. The second varsity eight split with a win over Duke and a loss to UVA. In a three-way race between UVA and U-M, OSU finished second behind the Cavaliers, but ahead of the Wolverines, in both competitions. Ohio State on the Web: www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com

Last Week at the ACC/Big Ten Double Dual
U-M's first competitions of the year went quite well as the first varsity eight earned wins over No. 6 Virginia and No. 17 Duke. With a time of 6:29.1, the Wolverines edged UVA by just over four seats in the morning race. In the afternoon, U-M beat the Blue Devils by nearly three boat lengths in a time of 6:33.9. The second varsity eight dropped its opening race to Virginia by nearly lengths before turning things around for a convincing victory against Duke. The first varsity four finished third in both of its races that included Ohio State as well as Virginia. The Blue Devils did not race a four. The second varsity four finished fourth in two races behind a pair of Virginia boats and one Buckeye crew. Michigan's first novice eight pulled out a pair of wins on the day, meanwhile the second novice eight lost to UVA but defeated Duke.

Finding the Right Mix
Sarah Trowbridge (Guilford, Conn./Guilford HS), Emily Shea (Ashfield, Mass./Deerfield Academy) and Jourdan Lawlor (Ann Arbor, Mich./Dexter HS) all earned seats in the first varsity eight for the first time of their careers last weekend. Trowbridge, a senior, stroked the Wolverines to consecutive wins over Virginia and Duke. She spent the last two seasons as a fixture in the second varsity eight. Also a senior, Lawlor took her place in the bow seat of U-M's top boat. Lawlor finished 2004 in the stroke seat of the second varsity following her transfer from Eastern Michigan. Just a sophomore, Shea sat in the three seat last weekend at the ACC/Big Ten Double Dual. Last year she worked herself from the second varsity four up to the second varsity eight by the end of the season.

Veteran Leadership
Michigan's first varsity eight returns five rowers and its coxswain from its 2004 squad that finished third at the NCAA Championships in Sacramento, Calif. The veterans include seniors Tara Medina (Mill Bay, B.C./Brentwood SS), Leah Ketcheson (Belleville, Ontario/Bayside SS), Crystal Culp (Fonthill, Ontario/E.L. Crossley SS) and Brett Sickler (Los Gatos, Calif./Los Gatos HS); and juniors Stesha Carl (Long Beach, Calif./Wilson HS) and Janine Hanson (Winnipeg, Manitoba/St. Mary's Academy).

Head Coach Mark Rothstein
Mark Rothstein is in his ninth 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 seven 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 four of the five Big Ten Conference championships (2000, '01, '03, '04). In 2000, '01 and '04 he was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year. He was the Central Region Coach of the Year in 2000 and '01. 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), Sarah Trowbridge, Crystal Culp, Leah Ketcheson, Janine Hanson, Brett Sickler, Emily Shea, Stesha Carl, Jourdan Lawlor.