Season Opener Split into Two-Day Affair with Harvard, Yale in Town

» Due to inclement weather concerns on Saturday (March 30), races have been moved up to Friday (March 29) afternoon beginning at 4:40 p.m. Racing will resume Saturday morning with the second session.
» U-M checks in at No. 9 in the early edition of the CRCA/US Rowing Coaches Poll. Yale (tied-fifth) and Harvard (19th) also are ranked.
» Michigan will race both Ivy League powers, while fellow Big Ten crews Michigan State and No. 17 Indiana will also compete.

THIS WEEK
Friday, March 29 -- vs Harvard (Belleville Lake), 4 p.m.
Saturday, March 30 -- vs. Yale (Belleville, Lake), 8 a.m.
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BELLEVILLE, Mich. -- The No. 9-ranked University of Michigan rowing team will begin its 2019 season at home on the waters of Belleville Lake on Friday and Saturday (March 29-30), hosting a double-dual regatta. The Wolverines will race against Harvard's Radcliffe program in the first session on Friday afternoon and Yale in the second session on Saturday morning.

The races against Harvard were moved up to Friday due to inclement weather concerns on Saturday.

Opening the season against these Ivy League powers is no new tradition for the Wolverines. This is the second time in the last three years these two programs have traveled to the Midwest in the early season, and the fourth time in the last five years overall that a pair of Ivy League programs have rowed on Belleville Lake.

The double-dual format will begin with races at 4:40 p.m. on Friday for the first session, and 8 a.m. on Saturday for the second session. U-M will race Harvard on Friday, and will compete with Yale the following morning. The Spartans and Hoosiers will race whichever Ivy League program Michigan is not.

The Wolverines will race first and second varsity eight boats, plus first, second, third and fourth varsity four boats. The novice program will have its first and second novice eight boats in action, plus two four boats.

The full race schedule can be found in the Visitor's Guide. The schedule is subject to change.

Varsity Lineup

Lineup still to come.

Things to Know

• As Michigan begins the long road of the 2019 season, it begins its pursuit of a sixth consecutive top-10 NCAA finish. This is the program's 23rd year under Mark Rothstein.

• U-M's early-spring ranking of No. 9 in the CRCA/USRowing Preseason Coaches Poll is no surprise. U-M has been ranked outside the top 10 of the poll's preseason edition only once in the last five seasons.

• Overall, the Big Ten has six teams ranked in the top 17 nationally, including Indiana (No. 17). The Wolverines are second in the poll among Big Ten programs.

• Michigan returns 17 of 23 athletes from its 2018 NCAA Championships roster and 24 athletes from last year's Big Ten Championships roster, including 13 rowers from the first and second varsity eight boats.

• This will be the first chance for U-M fans to get a look at the 15 true freshmen on the roster in addition to the novice boats that will be racing.

• This event represents the first of two to be hosted by the Maize and Blue this spring. Michigan will race Louisville on Sunday, April 5, for Senior Day.

• The team tightened up their training regimen by traveling to Caryville, Tennessee, for the spring training trip in March. In addition to great training and important team bonding time, the team benefitted from having Director of Performance Nutrition Caroline Mandel and Performance Dining Executive Chef Chris Carr onsite.

• More information about the trip and the season can be found in the 2019 Season Preview.

• Coach Rothstein was on WTKA's "The Michigan Insider" last week to preview the season.

• The Michigan Daily is celebrating March as Women in Sports month, and fans may be interested in a recent story which spotlights our novice program by writer Lane Kizziah.

• The Daily also ran an entertaining feature on senior Caroline Hendershot, whose involvement in sports broadcasting is shaping her career opportunities off the water.

A Look Ahead

Saturday, April 6 -- vs. Clemson, Virginia (Charlottesville, Va.), 9 a.m. / 1 p.m.
Saturday, April 13 -- vs. Rutgers, Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 9 a.m. / 1 p.m.

Tweet of the Week

Great read! Check this piece out before our season opener on Saturday.#RowBlue https://t.co/Ykufcbt9AG
— Michigan Rowing (@umichrowing) March 26, 2019