Michigan
NCAA Finals
U-M Closes NCAA Championships in Seventh after Two Top-Five Finishes
5/26/2018 6:05:00 PM | Rowing
» Michigan's second varsity eight (fourth) and first varsity four (fifth) both earned top-five national finishes in this afternoon's Grand Final.
» This marks Michigan's fifth consecutive top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships.
» In anticipation of inclement weather worsening as the weekend wore on, the previously-scheduled semifinal races were moved up to an earlier start this morning and all finals were moved up a full day, from Sunday to Saturday.
Site: Sarasota, Fla. (Nathan Benderson Park)
Event: NCAA Finals
U-M Team Finish: 7th of 22 Teams (95 points)
First Varsity Eight Finish: 4th of 6 Teams in Petite Final (6:30.981)
Next U-M Event: Season Complete
• Photo Gallery | Results
SARASOTA, Fla. -- A condensed schedule and a weekend dulled by rain did not dampen the spirits or speed of the No. 6-ranked University of Michigan women's rowing program, which used a pair of top-five showings on Saturday (May 26) at Nathan Benderson Park to earn its fifth straight top-10 team finish at the NCAA Championships.
Michigan was well-situated after a set of early-morning semifinal races, with its second varsity eight (second place, first heat) and first varsity four boats (third place, second heat) earning spots in the afternoon's Grand Finals. The first varsity eight (fourth place, second heat) placed itself in the Petite Final, and the Maize and Blue had the opportunity for a strong finish to close out the weekend.
After a brief respite from morning rains between sessions, the wet weather returned this afternoon. Temperatures ranged from the mid-to-high 70s, and all events were competed in rainy conditions, though it slowed to a drizzle at times, and winds were a minimal crosswind that had little effect on the environment.
The poor conditions and altered schedule were something the Wolverines relied on each other to overcome, something they did all year long.
"This weekend has definitely been a test for our team because of all the logistical changes and everything, and I think we handled that really well, and I am proud of us for that" said senior co-captain Kendall Brewer.
"I think this year we really came together as a team," said senior co-captain Rae Oleshansky. "We rowed with love for each other and we were excited to race for Michigan and for each other, and that was the most special part about this team."
Though a top-10 finish means a lot to the Maize and Blue, the team had higher hopes for itself heading into the weekend.
"We didn't finish where we wanted to, so from that standpoint it's disappointing," said head coach Mark Rothstein.
"But I am really proud of our team. I thought we had a great two weeks of preparation, and I am especially proud of our seniors. The seniors who raced here today left this team better than they found it. That's all you can ask from a class, and they certainly did that."
The first varsity eight competed in the first race of the afternoon session. It was a tightly-contested race in the early going but No. 7 Virginia jumped out to an early lead, going up two seats on the group of Michigan and No. 9 Yale near the 400-meter mark. The Cavaliers continued to pull away in small increments and Yale moved into second position, passing the Wolverines near the halfway point of the race.
U-M took second place back briefly, as the Bulldogs and Wolverines traded two and three-foot leads across the bow. At the 1250-meter mark, Virginia had widened its lead to about seven seats on the trio of U-M, Yale and No. 13 USC. The Trojans charged hard to finish in second, but UVA staved off all comers and held on for the wire-to-wire win.
Behind that pair, Yale and Michigan crossed the finish line with a razor-thin margin between third and fourth in the race, which equated to the difference of ninth or 10th in the nation. Ultimately, Yale crossed .025 seconds ahead of the Wolverines to take the third-place finish and U-M finished fourth to earn 39 points in the team standings.
In the second varsity eight race, the Wolverines narrowly missed a medal. In a stacked race, No. 1 Washington cruised out ahead from the jump, with U-M, No. 2 California and UVA drifting just a few feet behind the Huskies. U-M made its first significant move at the 500-meter mark to go up four seats on Cal, but Washington's lead had grown to seven seats by the 750-meter mark and the Bears pulled U-M back in, while Virginia remained just a couple of seats behind them in fourth.
Cal came even with Michigan near the race's halfway point, then passed U-M while the Wolverines began jockeying with Virginia for third place and a medalist spot. Neck-and-neck, the race could not have looked closer to the naked eye, but Virginia surged ahead at the final moment to secure a bronze medal and leave U-M in fourth, securing 38 points for the Maize and Blue in the team race.
Michigan's final race of the day came in the first varsity four event. It was a very tight field early, with Cal coming out hard alongside Washington. Yale and No. 4 Ohio State led the charging group behind, but with the battle for the team standings on the line between the Pac-12 powers, it was a two-boat showdown down the stretch. Both west coast boats pulled ahead of the field while the Buckeyes moved themselves into third place.
The Wolverines set to work tracking down the crew from Yale, keeping Texas at bay just past the halfway point of the race. Then the order of the back three boats changed, with Texas and U-M both passing Yale and pushing the Bulldogs into sixth place.
At the front, Cal won in dramatic fashion to secure the national title. U-M finished fifth overall, marking the second top-five finish of the day for the Maize and Blue with another 18 points added to the team standings.
This weekend's races bring the 2017-18 season to a close, but several U-M athletes will have opportunities to continue racing for their respective countries in international competitions throughout the summer season. Some of the younger talent is what has Rothstein and others optimistic about the future.
"I am very excited for the future with such a young team," he said.
"I think our team has a lot of enthusiasm and a very strong connection with each other and I think that's really going to lead our program to continue to be high-performing in the future," said Brewer.
RESULTS
First Varsity Eight (Petite Final; 7th-12th place overall)
1. Virginia -- 6:28.633
2. USC -- 6:29.138
3. Yale -- 6:30.866
4. MICHIGAN -- 6:30.981
5. Iowa -- 6:35.501
6. Indiana -- 6:44.318
Second Varsity Eight (Grand Final; 1st-6th place overall)
1. Washington -- 6:21.081
2. California -- 6:27.201
3. Virginia -- 6:28.264
4. MICHIGAN -- 6:28.576
5. Texas -- 6:30.519
6. Yale -- 6:37.854
First Varsity Four (Grand Final; 1st-6th place overall)
1. California -- 7:00.798
2. Washington -- 7:01.626
3. Ohio State -- 7:09.748
4. Texas -- 7:14.023
5. MICHIGAN -- 7:18.476
6. Yale -- 7:21.908
VARSITY LINEUPS
1V8: Alexis Jones (coxswain), Kalia Krichko, Meghan Gutknecht, Kendall Brewer, Victoria Glunt, Shayla Lamb, Kate Burns, Caroline Hendershot, Flick Cain
2V8: Charlotte Powers (coxswain), Annika Hoffmann, Emma Luniewicz, Perry Bower, Tayla-May Bentley, Megan Hinkle, Kathryn Grotto, Madison Byrd, Grace Gagliardi
1V4: Kathleen Peng, Emily Krebs, Rachel Fanning, Rae Oleshansky, Erika Yasuda (coxswain)
Players Mentioned
