U-M's Five Saturday Wins Close Double Dual with Ivy Powers

Saturday, March 30

Belleville, Mich.

8:00 AM

Michigan

Yale

U-M's Five Saturday Wins Close Double Dual with Ivy Powers

3/30/2019 11:29:00 AM | Rowing

By: Chad Shepard

» Michigan began its season with a split-session, double dual regatta this weekend, competing with Harvard Radcliffe on Friday before racing Yale this morning.
» The Wolverines won five races on Saturday after a Friday sweep.
» Michigan picked up wins on No. 19 Harvard Radcliffe and No. 5 Yale this weekend.

Site: Belleville, Mich.
Event: Double Dual vs. Harvard Radcliffe, Yale
First Varsity Eight Finish: 6:35.32 (1st of 2)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 6 - vs. Clemson, Virginia (Charlottesville, Virginia), 9 a.m./1 p.m.

• Photo Gallery

BELLEVILLE, Mich. -- The No. 9-ranked University of Michigan rowing program wrapped up its season-opening weekend with five of seven early-morning wins against No. 5-ranked Yale on Saturday (March 30) from Belleville Lake.

The wins were especially impressive given the fact that Yale had successfully swept Big Ten foes Michigan State and No. 17-ranked Indiana on Friday afternoon. The Wolverines proved their mettle by besting both Ivy League powers in all three championship boat races on both days. Michigan's second and third varsity four boats also won its races both days, and the team's race-to-race improvement was a positive sign for head coach Mark Rothstein.

"Today was a really good day and we raced better today than we did yesterday, which is a good sign," said Rothstein.

Rothstein mentioned the growth of the second novice boat and the composure of 1V8 stroke seat, occupied by freshman Jessica Schoonbee, among the day's highlights. He also pointed to all four fours boats racing better than they had in practice, which speaks to the depth of the program right now.

"I'm proud of the way we stayed composed," Rothstein said of the 1V8.

"We executed our race plan just the way we wanted. It was good to get on the water against a few other top programs, but we have a long way to go to get where we want to be and we have another good test next weekend."

After sweeping Harvard Radcliffe on Friday afternoon, the Wolverines were back in action early on Saturday, racing in a reverse-order format with the first varsity eight going first. Michigan kept its winning ways intact, beginning with a come-from-behind victory for the 1V.

Both teams got out to a clean start, but it was Yale which pulled ahead in the early going, taking as many as four seats up on the Wolverines. U-M clawed back, making a move between 500 and 1,000 meters, but Yale responded well to hold off the Maize and Blue.

Over the latter half of the race, though, Michigan upped its stroke rate and caught up to the Bulldogs' top boat. This time, it did not relinquish the ground it regained, and slowly pulled Yale back in. It was a near-photo finish, but Michigan surged ahead in the final stretch to win by 0.77 seconds, setting the tone for a successful day of racing.

In the 2V8 race, Michigan led from the start. Yale began the chase, but by the midpoint of the race, the Wolverines had earned a four-seat lead and did not look back. The Michigan advantage kept growing and was stretched into an open-water lead with about 600 meters to go. U-M impressed with a winning margin of +4.61.

The first varsity four race saw another early lead for Michigan, which went up half a boat length in the early going. The Bulldogs fought back with a steady pace and began its sprint early in an effort to catch the Maize and Blue, but it was not enough. U-M kept its healthy margin across the line and finished +7.64 ahead of Yale.

The 2V4 and 3V4 boats won with open water, and the novice eight suffered the first loss of the morning, coming in 3.43 seconds behind Yale's third varsity eight.

Up next for the Wolverines will be a trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, and another double dual regatta. This time, U-M will race with ACC powers Clemson and the host school, No. 7 Virginia.

Results

1V8
1. MICHIGAN -- 6:35.32
2. Yale -- 6:36.09

1. Harvard -- 6:40.83
2. Indiana -- 6:42.53
3. Michigan State -- 6:46.18

2V8
1. MICHIGAN -- 6:57.22
2. Yale -- 7:01.83

1. Harvard -- 7:01.4
2. Michigan State -- 7:04.55
3. Indiana -- 7:06.7

1V4
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:50.29
2. Yale -- 7:57.93

1. Indiana -- 8:02.99
2. Michigan State -- 8:10.41
3. Harvard -- 8:12.35

2V4
1. MICHIGAN -- 8:01.86
2. Yale -- 8:14.86

1. Indiana -- 8:21.95
2. Michigan State -- 8:25.13
3. Harvard -- 8:33.11

3V4
1. MICHIGAN -- 8:10.34
2. MICHIGAN (4V4) -- 8:26.67
3. Michigan State -- 9:05.40

1N8/3V8
1. Yale -- 7:25.5
2. MICHIGAN -- 7:28.93

1. Indiana -- 7:43.1
2. Harvard -- 7:53.12
3. Michigan State -- 8:04.4