Michigan
NCAA Semifinals
Wolverines Place Two in Grand Finals Early Saturday at NCAA Championships
5/26/2018 10:00:00 AM | Rowing
» After advancing all three boats to A/B Semifinals during yesterday's races, U-M put two of three boats into the Grand Finals during today's morning session.
» Michigan's 2V8 and 1V4 boats earned places in the Grand Final, while the 1V8 boat will row in the Petite Final.
» In anticipation of inclement weather worsening as the weekend wore on, the previously-scheduled semifinal races were moved up to an earlier start and all finals were moved up a full day, from Sunday to Saturday.
Site: Sarasota, Fla. (Nathan Benderson Park
Event: NCAA Semifinals
First Varsity Eight Finish: 4th of 6 Teams (6:30.828), advances to Petite Final
Next U-M Event: Saturday, May 26 – NCAA Championships (Sarasota, Fla.) - Finals, 2 p.m.
• Photo Gallery | Results
SARASOTA, Fla. -- The rains came hard and heavy as the semifinal races wrapped up at Nathan Benderson Park on Saturday's (May 26) second day of NCAA Championships competition. But those rains could not slow the momentum of the No. 6-ranked University of Michigan women's rowing team, which put two of three boats in the Grand Finals before the morning session was out.
Despite early start times, temperatures hovered in the low 70s throughout the morning with heavy cloud cover and a very light crosswind that picked up a bit as the morning wore on.
The Wolverines took Friday night's pair of schedule changes in stride, and came to the course energized for a full day of racing on Saturday.
The first race of the day was the first varsity eight, and U-M got off to a solid start, placing itself among the leaders at the 250-meter mark. No. 5 Stanford led early with U-M in second, No. 9 Princeton in third and No. 4 Texas in fourth. The Longhorns showed patience and began to creep back on the two coastal powers, pulling in Princeton -- which remained close by -- before coming even with the Wolverines near the 750-meter mark. Texas moved on into second, and it was then U-M giving chase to Princeton for the coveted third-place spot.
With 750 meters remaining, the Wolverines were about a half-length behind Princeton while Stanford continued to lead. The Cardinal ended up going wire-to-wire to earn the victory and U-M's late push was not enough to sneak into the last available Grand Final qualifying spot, which Princeton held on to by about four seats. U-M's 1V8 will race in the Petite Final at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
The 2V8 provided a change in fortune, landing U-M's first Grand Final bid of the morning. It was a fast start, and U-M pulled out with No. 1 Washington in the early going, sitting about two-and-a-half seats behind the Huskies at the 500-meter mark with Stanford giving chase. U-M was closer to Washington than the pack was to U-M and UW as a leading pair, but the Huskies put on a move near the race's halfway point to extend their lead.
Around the same time, Texas went on the attack seeking to catch the Wolverines, but U-M remained consistent, long and strong to keep about a three-seat lead on the Longhorns. UT got within a deck-length near the 1500-meter mark, but the Wolverines held it off and cruised ahead to regain a multiple-seat advantage as they crossed the finish line.
Just like that, the Wolverines had their first Grand Final bid of the weekend locked up. The 2V8 will be back in action at 2:24 p.m. Saturday afternoon in the Grand Final.
In Michigan's final race of the semifinals session, the first varsity four found itself in a very competitive heat and came out fast with the leaders. It was a tight and controlled front pack, with Washington, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 7 Virginia and No. 10 Iowa all starting quickly alongside the Maize and Blue.
Washington's lead could not be reeled in, but Iowa faded and it became familiar opponents Ohio State and Michigan battling for second place. The Buckeyes were up a couple of feet on U-M at the 750-meter mark, and that gap held up through the halfway point of the race. Virginia led the chase group, which stayed close but did not threaten much.
The Wolverines lifted their stroke rate around the 1250-meter mark, jockeying back and forth with Ohio State for second place. U-M was ahead briefly, but the Buckeyes pulled back ahead to claim second place, and Washington won with open water. The 1V4 will be back to race at 2:40 p.m. in the Grand Final.
RESULTS
* = Advance to Grand Final (All other boats advance to Petite Final)
First Varsity Eight (Heat 2)
1. Stanford* -- 6:25.251
2. Texas* -- 6:27.171
3. Princeton* -- 6:29.368
4. MICHIGAN -- 6:30.828
5. Yale -- 6:37.213
6. USC -- 6:38.711
Second Varsity Eight (Heat 1)
1. Washington* -- 6:28.734
2. MICHIGAN* -- 6:34.199
3. Texas* -- 6:36.159
4. Stanford -- 6:38.026
5. Princeton -- 6:50.017
6. Syracuse -- 6:54.186
First Varsity Four (Heat 2)
1. Washington* -- 7:06.152
2. Ohio State* -- 7:12.389
3. MICHIGAN* -- 7:14.035
4. Virginia -- 7:18.175
5. Brown -- 7:27.565
6. Iowa -- 7:40.332
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)
Tweet of the Day
? MAJOR SCHEDULE CHANGE/WEATHER ALERT! ?
— Michigan Rowing (@umichrowing) May 26, 2018
All #NCAARow Finals will now be raced TODAY, beginning at 2 p.m. ET.
RT and Spread the word!
Complete schedule: https://t.co/VxkmYQrUd0 pic.twitter.com/A7Q1WwOuIj
Players Mentioned
