Mixed Results for U-M at Big Ten Double Dual in Columbus

Saturday, April 13

Columbus, Ohio

9:00 AM

Michigan

Ohio State

Mixed Results for U-M at Big Ten Double Dual in Columbus

4/13/2019 3:33:00 PM | Rowing

By: Chad Shepard

» In a battle of Big Ten powerhouses, U-M and Ohio State split results. OSU won the 1V8 and 1V4 races, while U-M won the other five events and won 11 of 14 races overall.
» U-M has wins over six ranked programs this spring: two from the Ivy League, two from the ACC and two from the Big Ten.
» Races were streamed live on the OSU Rowing Facebook Page, where they can still be viewed.

Site: Columbus, Ohio (Scioto River)
Event: vs. Ohio State, Rutgers
First Varsity Eight Finish: 6:22.04 (2nd of 2); 6:35.11 (1st of 2)
Next U-M Event: April 20 -- vs. Washington, Ohio State (Las Vegas, Nev.), 9 a.m. PDT

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan rowing program posted mixed results during a Big Ten Double Dual regatta on the Scioto River on Saturday (April 20). U-M won five of seven races against No. 9 Ohio State in the morning session, but were edged out in the first varsity eight race, and went on to win six of seven events with No. 16 Rutgers in the afternoon.

"Firstly, I think (Rutgers coach) Justin Price is doing a fabulous job with their program," said head coach Mark Rothstein. "They've shown tremendous improvement and that is great not only for the Big Ten, but for college rowing as a whole. My hats are off to them."

"The 1V8 races were very competitive today. I thought our 2V8 boat had a really good weekend. They really did a great job racing in a couple of close races and we want to build on that moving forward."

Perhaps the day's best finish came in the morning from that second varsity eight boat, which earned a +1.6-second win over the Buckeyes in a hard-fought race. The teams traded small leads back and forth in the early going before U-M took control near the 500-meter mark. The Wolverines grew their lead to about a two-seat edge at the 1,250-meter mark when the Buckeyes surged, but U-M held strong and kept OSU a few seats away.

Down the finish, Michigan pulled ahead and seemed to gain a half-seat with each stroke over the final stretch, finishing with a half-boat lead. Their closing effort made a very close race seem less so. The Wolverines completed a perfect day in the afternoon, beating Rutgers by a tight margin with a time of 6:45.43 (+1.44).

The first varsity eight's loss was its first of the season, and could not have been much closer. The race was tight early on, with U-M taking a two-seat lead in the first several hundred meters. That lead increased by a seat or two through the 750-meter mark, and in the second half of the race, the Buckeyes began to turn up their pace. They drew even near the 1,000-meter mark and overtook the Wolverines with about 700 meters remaining.

U-M's sprint was aggressive, but it was not enough to regain the lead as the Buckeyes crossed the finish line about two seats in front with a time of 6:21.10, just 0.94 seconds ahead of U-M. Michigan's top boat came back in the afternoon session beat Rutgers with a time of 6:35.11.

Michigan's fours also split their morning races. The first varsity four came in +2.21 seconds behind Ohio State while the second varsity four won by 8.25 seconds. The 1V4 found redemption during the afternoon session with a win of more than four seconds over Rutgers.

The 2V4 finished a perfect day with a wire-to-wire victory over the Scarlet Knights, crossing in 7:21.15 (+8.5). Michigan's third varsity four boats won both their races, with the 4V4 placing second in the afternoon race, ahead of Rutgers.

Both U-M novice boats had strong performances as well, highlighted by a pair of wins from the first novice eight boat against OSU and Rutgers. The second novice eight boat raced Michigan State and Rutgers in both sessions, coming in first during the first race and third during the second race.

Up next for the Wolverines will be a trip on to Las Vegas, Nevada, to take on Ohio State and the University of Washington next Saturday (April 20). Back at Belleville Lake, the novice program will race Ohio State on April 20.

Results

Session I
First Varsity Eight
1. Ohio State -- 6:21.10
2. MICHIGAN -- 6:22.04

Second Varsity Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 6:26.47
2. Ohio State -- 6:28.07

First Varsity Four
1. Ohio State -- 7:09.47
2. MICHIGAN -- 7:11.68

Second Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:19.10
2. Ohio State -- 7:27.35

Third Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:30.72
2. Ohio State -- 7:39.51
3. MICHIGAN (4v4) -- 7:47.84

First Novice Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 6:52.64
2. Ohio State -- 6:58.99

Second Novice Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:07.40
2. Michigan State -- 7:14.83
3. Rutgers -- 7:19.65

Session II
First Varsity Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 6:35.11
2. Rutgers -- 6:35.42

Second Varsity Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 6:45.53
2. Rutgers -- 6:56.87

First Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:30.28
2. Rutgers -- 7:34.85

Second Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:21.15
2. Rutgers -- 7:29.65