Weekly Release #3

4/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Rowing

Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, April 9 -- vs. Michigan State, vs. Brown (Columbus, Ohio)
Saturday, April 16 -- vs. Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin (Belleville, Mich.)

Michigan This Week
The No. 5-ranked Michigan women's rowing team looks to continue its winning ways against No. 11 Michigan State and No. 4 Brown in two separate events this Saturday (April 9) in Columbus, Ohio. The Wolverines and Spartans will be competing not only for state bragging rights but for a point for their respective schools in the spring Pontiac Challenge Cup race. The racing against MSU will commence at 8:20 a.m. Later in the day beginning at noon, U-M will oppose a top-five crew for the second straight week when it meets Brown. Additionally, Michigan will be involved in four select races that include MSU and Ohio State; the morning and afternoon second varsity four and second novice eight races will feature U-M, MSU and OSU. Since Brown will not travel a varsity four the Wolverines will race Rutgers instead of Brown in the afternoon.

Schedule of Events

Michigan, Michigan State	First Novice Eight	8:20 a.m.
Michigan, Michigan State	Second Varsity Eight	8:40 a.m.
Michigan, Michigan State	First Varsity Eight	9 a.m.
Michigan, Michigan State	First Varsity Four	9:20 a.m.
Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State	Second Varsity Four	9:45 a.m.
Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State	Second Novice Eight	10 a.m.

Michigan, Brown	First Novice Eight	Noon
Michigan, Brown	Second Varsity Eight	12: 20 p.m.
Michigan, Brown	First Varsity Eight	12:50 p.m.
Michigan, Rutgers	First Varsity Four	1:10 p.m.
Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State	Second Varsity Four	1:35 p.m.
Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State	Second Novice Eight	1:50 p.m.

Pontiac Challenge Cup
The Pontiac Challenge Cup 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. During the 2003-04 campaign, the Wolverines won the Pontiac Challenge Cup in each of the three seasons. Thus far in 2004-05, Michigan has won the fall (3.5 to 2.5) and winter (4.0 to 2.0) sessions. Michigan has a 1.0 to 0 lead over the Spartans in the current spring season. Four more Pontiac Challenge Cup points will still be up for grabs following the rowing event this weekend..

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

Coach Mark Rothstein Says...
"(At this point of the season) I think we're in good shape. I think that we just need to keep working hard and keep improving. The racing will take care of itself."

Matt the Meteorologist
The forecast for Saturday in Columbus, Ohio, calls for a high of 58 degrees. Winds are expected at 11 miles per hour from the northwest.

On Michigan State
The No. 11-ranked Spartans are led by first-year head coach Matt Weise. The first varsity eight is coming off an upset victory of No. 6 Virginia last weekend in Charlottesville, Va. MSU's other varsity boats were all beaten out by their Cavalier counterparts. Two weeks ago, Michigan State saw Princeton and Brown in Princeton, N.J. Both of MSU's varsity eights were defeated by open water by the Tigers and Bears. Michigan State on the Web: www.msuspartans.com

On Brown
The No. 4-ranked Bears are coached by John Murphy, who is in his 21st year. The reigning national champions, Brown has four national titles in the last six years. Last week against Harvard, the Bears first varsity eight was defeated by the Crimson before earning wins in the second varsity eight and novice eight races. Brown on the Web: www.brownbears.com

Last Week Against Ohio State
Michigan won five of six races against No. 3 Ohio State on April 1 at Belleville Lake in Belleville, Mich. The first varsity eight earned an impressive win in a time of 6:11.0, 3.0 ahead of OSU. U-M's second varsity eight was the only boat to falter on the day, finishing in a time of 6:26.6, 5.5 seconds behind OSU. The first varsity four won the closest race of the day by a mere 1.8 seconds after finishing in 7:15.0. The second varsity four, first novice eight and second novice eight all won their races by open water.

Big Ten Boat of the Week
As a result of its win over Ohio State, Michigan's first varsity eight received the Big Ten Conference's Boat of the Week laurel. It marks the first Big Ten Boat of the Week award for the Maize and Blue since 2003 when U-M's first varsity eight won three in a row. The first varsity eight boat (from stern to bow) was comprised of coxwain Tara Medina (Mill Bay, B.C.), Sarah Trowbridge (Guilford, Conn.), Crystal Culp (Fonthill, Ontario), Leah Ketcheson (Belleville, Ontario), Janine Hanson (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Cristin McCarty (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan), Emily Shea (Shelburne Falls, Mass.), Brett Sickler (Los Gatos, Calif.) and Stesha Carl (Long Beach, Calif.).

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, Leah Ketcheson, Crystal Culp and Brett Sickler; and juniors Stesha Carl and Janine Hanson.

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, Cristin McCarty, Emily Shea, Brett Sickler, Stesha Carle.