Weekly #7: Wolverines Set for NCAA Championships

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Fri-Sun., May 29-31 -- at 2009 NCAA Championships (Cooper River, Cherry Hill, N.J.)
Championship Central | Live Results | Heat Sheets

The University of Michigan women's rowing team ventures to Cherry Hill, N.J., this week to challenge 15 of the country's best schools for team and boat titles at the 2009 NCAA Championships. U-M begins competition on Friday (May 29) at 8:45 a.m. and continues on Saturday (May 30) at 9 a.m. and Sunday (May 31) at 9:45 a.m.

The Wolverines are coming off their Central Region crown, which they won on May 17. U-M is making its first showing as a team at the NCAA Championships since 2005, when it finished eighth, and its ninth overall appearance in program history. The first varsity eight earned an at-large bid to the 2008 NCAA Championships, where it posted an 11th-place finish.

MICHIGAN SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Time	Event
Friday, May 29
8:45 a.m.	First Varsity Eight, Heat 1 - Stanford, Yale, Harvard, Washington, Ohio State
9 a.m.	First Varsity Eight, Heat 2 - California, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Oregon State, Brown
9:15 a.m.	First Varsity Eight, Heat 3 - Michigan, Virginia, Dartmouth, Clemson, Princeton, Southern California
9:30 a.m.	Second Varsity Eight, Heat 1 - Virginia, Ohio State, Washington, Harvard, Oregon State
9:45 a.m.	Second Varsity Eight, Heat 2 - California, Stanford, Yale, Southern California, Princeton
10 a.m.	Second Varsity Eight, Heat 3 - Michigan, Michigan State, Dartmouth, Brown, Wisconsin, Clemson
10:15 a.m.	First Varsity Four, Heat 1 - California, Harvard, Virginia, Princeton, Michigan State
10:30 a.m.	First Varsity Four, Heat 2 - Southern California, Ohio State, Oregon State, Clemson, Wisconsin
10:45 a.m.	First Varsity Four, Heat 3 - Michigan, Brown, Yale, Washington, Stanford, Dartmouth
3:10 p.m.	First Varsity Eight, Repechage
3:30 p.m.	Second Varsity Eight, Repechage
3:50 p.m.	First Varsity Four, Repechage
Saturday, May 30
9:00 a.m.	First Varsity Eight, Semifinal 1
9:15 a.m.	First Varsity Eight, Semifinal 2
9:30a.m.	Second Varsity Eight, Semifinal 1
9:45 a.m.	Second Varsity Eight, Semifinal 2
10 a.m.	First Varsity Four, Semifinal 1
10:15 a.m.	First Varsity Four, Semifinal 2
Sunday, May 31
9:45 a.m.	First Varsity Four, Third Final
10 a.m.	First Varsity Four, Petite Final
10:15 a.m.	First Varsity Four, Grand Final
10:30 a.m.	Second Varsity Eight, Third Final
10:45 a.m.	Second Varsity Eight, Petite Final
11 a.m.	Second Varsity Eight, Grand Final
11:15 a.m.	First Varsity Eight, Third Final
11:30 a.m.	First Varsity Eight, Petite Final
11:45 a.m.	First Varsity Eight, Grand Final
12:30 p.m.	Awards Ceremony

Media Coverage
Villanova University, which is located in nearby Philadelphia, Pa., is the host school for the NCAA Championships. Villanova has arranged for a number of ways for fans to track the event throughout the weekend.

Live Schedule Results (includes heat sheets)
Live Mobile Minisite Schedule Results (includes heat sheets)
Live Streaming Video and Audio: Saturday | Sunday

Championship Format and Scoring
The top three finishing crews of each preliminary heat go forward to the semifinals; the remainder goes forward to the repechage heat. The first three crews in the repechage heat go forward to the semifinals. The remaining crews advance to the final for places 13-16. The first three crews of each semifinal go forward to the final grand final; the remainder to the petite final.

The NCAA team 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 team championship, the champion shall be the team whose boat finished higher in the first varsity eight race. The scoring system will be as follows:

Points Chart

Place	First Varsity Eight	Second Varsity Eight	First Varsity Four
1st	48	32	16
2nd	45	30	15
3rd	42	28	14
4th	39	26	13
5th	36	24	12
6th	33	22	11
7th	30	20	10
8th	27	18	9
9th	24	16	8
10th	21	14	7
11th	18	12	6
12th	15	10	5
13th	12	8	4
14th	9	6	3
15th	6	4	2
16th	3	2	1

SEEDINGS

Team	1V8	2V8	1V4
Stanford	48	32	16
California	45	30	15
Virginia	42	28	14
Michigan	39	26	13
Michigan State	36	24	12
Yale	33	22	11
Harvard	30	20	10
Wisconsin	27	18	9
Clemson	24	16	8
Princeton	21	14	7
Oregon State	18	12	6
Washington	15	10	5
Ohio State	12	8	4
Brown	9	6	3
Southern California	6	4	2
Dartmouth	3	2	1

If the Seeds Hold
1. California - 91 points
2. Virginia - 84
3. Stanford - 74
4. Michigan State - 68
5. Yale - 65
6. Michigan - 63
7. Harvard - 51
8. Brown - 48
9. Wisconsin - 57
10. Ohio State - 46
11. Washington - 42
12. Clemson - 37
13. Southern California - 33
14. Princeton - 32
15. Oregon State - 29
16. Dartmouth - 6

WEATHER OUTLOOK
Scattered thunderstorms are in the forecast for Friday, May 29. The high temperature is expected to reach 77 degrees with a 50-percent likelihood of rain. Saturday, May 30, and Sunday, May 31, should be clear with a high of 80 degrees being predicted for each day.

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), Maggie Cooper, Natalie Eisermann, Ashley Jones, Kari Stenbakken, Sarah Gribler, Kate Strzalkowski, Casey Timmons, Liz McCannell.

First Varsity Four -- Jen Entin (coxswain), Ariel Piotter, Jordan Peek, Michela Musto, Julia Darnton.

WOLVERINE BITES
Leaders and Best, Champions of the ... Central Region -- On May 17, the Wolverines won their first Central Region team title since 2005. Led by the first varsity eight's silver-medal showing, all five U-M boats qualified for the grand finals. The second varsity eight and novice eight each placed fourth. The first varsity four was fifth and the open four was third.

On May 26, the CRCA announced its All-Central Region team, which included six members of the Maize and Blue first varsity eight. Seniors Laura Dunn(Andover, Mass./Pomfret School, Conn.) and Karen Colwell(Pawcatuck, Conn./Stonington) and juniors Ashley Kroll(Edmonds, Wash./Kamiak) and Adrienne Mecham(Lake Stevens, Wash. /Lake Stevens) garnered All-Central Region first team laurels, while senior Cate Trumble(Dalkeith, Western Australia/Presbyterian Ladies' College) was tabbed All-Central Region second team. Each of the five Wolverines is now eligible for All-America status. Earlier this spring, Colwell and Trumble were picked for the All-Big Ten first team, while Kroll and Mecham were on the All-Big Ten second team. Earlier this spring, Colwell and Trumble were picked for the All-Big Ten first team, while Kroll and Mecham were on the All-Big Ten second team.

Rothstein Rules -- Head Coach Mark Rothstein was named Central Region Coach of the Year by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association on Tuesday May 26. The 2009 campaign marks the third in which Rothstein has been chosen as the CRCA Central Region Coach of the Year. He also earned the award in consecutive seasons in 2000 and 2001. The criteria for the award includes: outstanding success throughout the season, team improvement from the prior season, fulfilling team potential and demonstrating professionalism and integrity.

I'm on a Boat, I'm Gonna Go Fast -- 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, including NCAA qualifiers like Brown, Princeton, Oregon State, Wisconsin, Washington and Southern California. In the postseason, U-M's first varsity eight has finished no worse than second in its five races. Michigan won its heat at the Big Ten Championships before taking home the silver medal. At the Central/South Region Sprints, the Wolverines won their heat and semifinal before garnering silver in the grand final.

Putting the Stud in Student-Athlete -- Karen Colwell, junior Margaret Deinek(Grosse Pointe, Mich./Grosse Pointe South), junior Michela Musto(Ada, Mich./Forest Hills Northern) and senior Kate Strzalkowski(St. Catharines, Ontario/St. Catharines Collegiate) were named CRCA Scholar Athletes on May 26. Colwell, a physical education major, and Strzalkowski, a history major, are three-time honorees for the distinction; only two other Wolverines in program history have repeated the feat. Deinek and Musto, who are each double majoring -- Spanish and psychology for the former, statistics and sociology for the latter -- are receiving the CRCA Scholar Athlete for the second time each. CRCA Scholar Athletes must be in their second, third or fourth years of eligibility, row in their institution's NCAA eligible boats and have a 3.5 cumulative grade-point average for their career.

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, senior bow-seat Cate Trumble, junior six-seat Adrienne Mecham, junior seven-seat Ashley Kroll and senior three-seat Karen Colwell.

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 and received the Big Ten Conference's Freshman Rower of the Year award. 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) has established herself in three seat. Lastly, Cristina Felix(San Marino, Calif./San Marino) has been set in 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.

Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423