Wolverines Receive Invitation to NCAA Championships
5/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan women's rowing team has received a bid to compete in the 2009 NCAA Championships, the NCAA announced on Tuesday afternoon (May 19). The Wolverines will be appearing in their ninth national championship event in the program's 13-year varsity history. This year's events will take place Friday through Sunday, May 29-31, on the Cooper River in Cherry Hill, N.J.
"We're excited to have qualified for theNCAA Championships," said head coach Mark Rothstein. "We're excited to race the top teams in the country. We're looking forward to preparing over the next two weeks and we know that we have a huge challenge ahead of us."
The NCAA Championships are divided up among Division I, Division II and Division III institutions. In Division I, 16 teams are awarded team bids, which include a first varsity eight, a second varsity eight and a first varsity four. The three boats from each school can win individual national titles while attempting to earn points toward the team title. U-M's first varsity eight is seeded fourth for the regatta, while the second varsity eight and first varsity four are both seeded ninth.
This year's collection of teams includes Brown, California, Clemson, Dartmouth, Harvard, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oregon State, Princeton, Southern California, Stanford, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Yale.
Michigan is in the hunt for its first team national title. In 2001, the U-M second varsity eight won an individual boat national title when the Maize and Blue posted a program-best second-place overall finish. In 2004, the Wolverines earned third place as a team. In 2003, the first varsity eight notched a boat-best, silver-medal performance en route to a fourth-place team standing. Michigan's other national finishes include fifth place on three occasions (1998, 1999, 2000) and eighth place twice (2002, 2005).
The Wolverines head into the NCAA Championships after winning the Central Region title on May 17 at the Central/South Region Sprints in Oak Ridge, Tenn. U-M's first varsity eight took second behind Virginia in the grand final, while the U-M second varsity eight and first varsity four placed fourth and fifth, respectively. At the Big Ten Championships on May 2, the Maize and Blue finished second as a team, as well as in the first varsity eight.
Michigan is one of four Big Ten Conference squads (Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin) that will be attending the NCAA Championships. The Pac-10 Conference leads the way withfive invitees (Stanford, California, Washington, Southern California, Oregon State).
The NCAA Championships will be held May 29-31 on the Cooper River in Cherry Hill, N.J., with Villanova serving as host. For ticket information, call the Villanova Ticket Office at 610-519-4100
Championships Sites:NCAA|Villanova
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
