Weekly #5: U-M at Big Ten Championships
4/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Saturday, May 2 -- 2009 Big Ten Championships (Griggs Reservoir - Columbus, Ohio)
The University of Michigan women's rowing team heads to the campus of Ohio State this Saturday (May 2) for the 2009 Big Ten Championships, which are being held on Griggs Reservoir on the Scioto River. Of the 20 schools ranked in this week's USRowing/CRCA NCAA Division I Varsity Eight Coaches Poll, six will be competing in Columbus this weekend -- No. 3 Michigan State, No. 5 Michigan, No. 7 Ohio State, No. 14 Wisconsin, No. 17 Iowa and No. 20 Minnesota. Michigan has yet to race MSU, OSU or Minnesota this spring. The Wolverines are seeking their first team Big Ten title since 2004.
Schedule of Events
| Time | Event | Lane/Seed |
| 8:00 a.m. | Second Novice Eight, Heat 1 | U-M lane 2, No. 1 seed |
| 8:15 a.m. | Second Novice Eight, Heat 2 | |
| 8:30 a.m. | First Novice Eight, Heat 1 | U-M lane 2, No. 1 seed |
| 8:45 a.m. | First Novice Eight, Heat 2 | |
| 9:00 a.m. | Second Varsity Four, Heat 1 | U-M lane 3, No. 2 seed |
| 9:15 a.m. | Second Varsity Four, Heat 2 | |
| 9:30 a.m. | First Varsity Four, Heat 1 | U-M lane 2, No. 1 seed |
| 9:45 a.m. | First Varsity Four, Heat 2 | |
| 10:00 a.m. | Second Varsity Eight, Heat 1 | U-M lane 3, No. 2 seed |
| 10:15 a.m. | Second Varsity Eight, Heat 2 | |
| 10:30 a.m. | First Varsity Eight, Heat 1 | U-M lane 3, No. 2 seed |
| 10:45 a.m. | First Varsity Eight, Heat 2 | |
| Noon | Second Novice Eight, Petite Final | |
| 12:15 p.m. | Second Novice Eight, Grand Final | |
| 12:30 p.m. | First Novice Eight, Petite Final | |
| 12:45 p.m. | First Novice Eight, Grand Final | |
| 1:00 p.m. | Second Varsity Four, Petite Final | |
| 1:15 p.m. | Second Varsity Four, Grand Final | |
| 1:30 p.m. | First Varsity Four, Petite Final | |
| 1:45 p.m. | First Varsity Four, Grand Final | |
| 2:00 p.m. | Second Varsity Eight, Petite Final | |
| 2:15 p.m. | Second Varsity Eight, Grand Final | |
| 2:30 p.m. | First Varsity Eight, Petite Final | |
| 2:45 p.m. | First Varsity Eight, Grand Final | |
| 4:00 p.m. | Awards Presentation |
Media Coverage
Live updates throughout the Big Ten Championships will be available on the Ohio State website. Directions to the venue also are available.
The Big Ten Network will be filming the Big Ten Championships and airing the event on Sunday, May 17, at 3 p.m.
bigten.org
bigtennetwork.com
Championship Format and Scoring
Seven of the Big Ten Conference's 11 schools sponsor women's rowing: Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State and Wisconsin. Each team fields up to six boats -- one for each of the following events: first varsity eight, second varsity eight, first varsity four, second varsity four, first novice eight and second novice eight. The teams are split into two heats in the morning session. The top two teams from each heat advance to the afternoon grand final for their event, while the remaining teams finish the day in the petite final. Each boat earns points for its team based on its overall finish.
The Big Ten Conference champion shall be determined from the accumulation of points based on the competed races and the points associated with the place of finish in each race. If there is a tie in points for the conference team championship, the conference champion shall be the team whose boat finished higher in the first varsity eight race. The scoring system will be as follows:
Place Points (see chart below)
| Race | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| First Varsity Eight | 63 | 54 | 45 | 36 | 27 | 18 | 9 |
| Second Varsity Eight | 42 | 36 | 30 | 24 | 18 | 12 | 6 |
| First Varsity Four | 21 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 3 |
| Second Varsity Four | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| First Novice Eight | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Second Novice Eight | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Handicapping the Field
If the seedings hold for each boat this weekend then the Wolverines and Spartans will each finish with 144 points -- MSU would garner the team title as its first varsity eight is seeded No. 1. All of Michigan's boats are seeded either first or second. U-M's first varsity four and both novice eights received top billing, while the first and second varsity eights and second varsity four picked up No. 2 seeds. The Spartans have No. 1 seeds in the first and second varsity eights.
Seedings
| Team | 1V8 | 2V8 | 1V4 | 2V4 | 1N8 | 2N8 |
| Indiana | 7 | 6 | 7 | no boat | 7 | 4 |
| Iowa | 4 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Michigan | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Michigan State | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Minnesota | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| Ohio State | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| Wisconsin | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
If the Seeds Hold
1. Michigan State - 144 points
2. Michigan - 144
3. Ohio State - 103
4. Wisconsin - 100
5. Iowa - 79
6. Minnesota - 42
7. Indiana - 30
Weather Outlook
Saturday's forecast in Columbus, Ohio, calls for a high of 66 degrees with partly cloudy skies and winds from the northwest. Precipitation is unlikely.
Big Ten Championships History
2009 marks the 10th season of Big Ten rowing. Michigan has a conference-best four team championships (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004). Michigan State, the defending Big Ten champion, and Ohio State have two titles apiece, while Minnesota has one. U-M has had success in Columbus at the Big Ten Championships, having won the 2003 team title in heart-stopping fashion; U-M's first varsity eight won its grand final and finished two spots ahead of MSU, which allowed Michigan to equal the Spartans' team point total and take the championship by way of the first varsity eight tiebreaker. Since winning the 2004 Big Ten crown, U-M has placed fourth (2005, 2006), second (2007) and fifth (2008). Michigan hosted the 2008 Big Ten Championships on Belleville Lake. The first varsity eight had the best showing for U-M, placing third. The second varsity four and first novice eight were fourth, the second varsity eight and first varsity four were fifth and the second novice eight was sixth. The only boat titles won by the Maize and Blue in the last four seasons have been by the first varsity eight and second novice eight, both in 2007.
U-M Big Ten Boat Titles
| First Varsity Eight | 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007 |
| Second Varsity Eight | 2000, 2001, 2004 |
| First Varsity Four | 2001, 2003 |
| Second Varsity Four | None |
| First Novice Eight | 2001 |
| Second Novice Eight | 2007 |
PROBABLE LINEUPS
First Varsity Eight -- Laura Dunn (coxswain), Melisa Ongun, Ashley Kroll, Adrienne Mecham, Karen Colwell, Cristina Felix, Emily Eiffert, Felice Mueller, Cate Trumble.
Second Varsity Eight -- Erica Macke (coxswain), Liz McCannell, Maggie Cooper, Natalie Eisermann, Sarah Gribler, Kari Stenbakken, Casey Timmons, Jordan Peek, Ashley Jones.
First Varsity Four -- Margaret Deinek (coxswain), Michela Musto, Suzanne Maddamma, Brittany Poston, Julia Nelson.
Second Varsity Four -- Jen Entin (coxswain), Nellie Ruedig, Rachel Fullmer, Kristen Henkels, Maureen Kelly.
First Novice Eight -- Sarah Adams (coxswain), Ariel Piotter, Olivia Klipa, Jeanise Dobski, Julia Darnton, Nicole Dressler, Jill Szydloski, Lindsey Healy, Sarah Kempa.
Second Novice Eight -- Abby Landis (coxswain), Nikki Braverman, Emily Smalligan, Paige Heil, Allie Styke, Jessica Brouwer, April Newberry, Kelly Bradford, Julia Sittig.
WOLVERINE BITES
Leaders and Best -- Michigan's first varsity eight completed the regular season with a perfect record for the first time since 2005. This spring, the top Wolverine boat posted an 8-0 mark against an impressive array of competition. U-M has faced and beaten 10 of the 20 teams currently ranked in USRowing/CRCA NCAA Division I Varsity Eight Coaches Poll. Among U-M's most notable wins were its season-opening triumph over No. 6 Princeton and No. 10 Brown on March 28, and the capture of the Jessop-Whittier Cup at the San Diego Crew Classic on April 5, when U-M defeated No. 8 Washington, No. 12 Oregon State, No. 13 Southern California, No. 14 Wisconsin No. 15 Washington State and No. 17 Iowa in the grand final. The Michigan first varsity eight is currently ranked No. 5 in the country heading into the Big Ten Championships.
U-M's first and second novice eights also have flawless records to date. The first novice eight won all eight of its races, while the second novice eight won its seven events.
The second varsity eight has had a strong season, winning five of its eight races. The 2V8 was the runner-up in its heat and grand final at the San Diego Crew Classic. It lost a head-to-head race vs. Washington State on April 18. The first varsity four is riding a winning streak of seven races after finishing behind Brown, yet ahead of Princeton in the first race of the season.
Veteran Presence -- Five members of the first varsity eight crew that competed at the 2008 NCAA Championships are back in U-M's top boat for 2009: senior coxswain Laura Dunn(Andover, Mass./Pomfret School, Conn.), senior bow Cate Trumble(Dalkeith, Western Australia/Presbyterian Ladies' College), junior six-seat Adrienne Mecham(Lake Stevens, Wash. /Lake Stevens), junior seven-seat Ashley Kroll(Edmonds, Wash./Kamiak) and fifth-year senior three-seat Karen Colwell(Pawcatuck, Conn. /Stonington).
Immediate Impact -- Joining U-M's five upperclassmen in the first varsity eight are a quartet of freshmen. Melisa Ongun(Chicago, Ill./Lincoln Park) has set the pace for the top boat all spring. Felice Mueller(Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Pomfret School, Conn.) has been in the two seat for all but one weekend -- she sat out April 18-19 with an injury. Emily Eiffert(Honeoye, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima) is making the move from bow to three seat for the Big Ten Championships. Lastly, Cristina Felix(San Marino, Calif./San Marino) has been set in the four seat. As preps, the quartet had experience competing for the United States at the FISA Junior World Championships.
Welcome Aboard -- Head Coach Mark Rothstein, who is in his 13th year at his alma mater, hired two of his former rowers to be assistant coaches last fall. Heather Mandoli earned Big Ten Rower of the Year honors as a senior in 2004 and progressed to row for Team Canada, ultimately competing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Annie Hildebrand wrapped up her U-M career in the spring of 2008 and has remained with the program as graduate assistant coach. Rounding out Rothstein's new hires is Kate Strum, who rowed at Bates College and has been an accomplished assistant coach at UC Davis and Bucknell.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Sat-Sun., May 16-17 -- at Central/South Region Sprints (Oak Ridge, Tenn.)
Fri-Sun., May 29-31 -- at NCAA Championships (Camden, N.J.)
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
