Michigan
NCAA Heats
Wolverines Hungry for More at NCAA Championships
5/29/2019 10:26:00 AM | Rowing
» Michigan is competing at the NCAA Championships for the 12th consecutive season and the 20th time in program history.
» U-M seeks a return to the podium for the second time in three seasons, having finished third in 2017 and seventh last spring.
» The Wolverines enter these championships as the Big Ten champions and No. 5-ranked program nationally.
THIS WEEK
Fri-Sun., May 31-June 2 -- at NCAA Championships (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Event Home | NCAA Championships Central
Friday, May 31 -- NCAA Heats, 4Â p.m.
Live Video
Saturday, June 1 -- NCAA Semifinals, 8:36 a.m.
Live Video
Sunday, June 2 -- NCAA Finals, TBD
Live Video
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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan rowing program is readying for the 2019 NCAA Championships after nearly a week of off-site training in nearby Cincinnati, Ohio. The Wolverines will compete in a three-day affair, Friday through Sunday (May 31-June 2), at Eagle Creek Park -- the site of the Big Ten Championships from 2010-2018.
All three of Michigan's championship boats (1V8, 2V8, 1V4) are seeded among the top six in their respective divisions, led by the No. 2-ranked second varsity eight. The Wolverines put two boats in grand final events last spring, one year after placing all three boats in grand finals for the first time since 2001. U-M will need a similar performance to find the podium as a team again this spring, and the team aims to do just that.
The Maize and Blue has boasted a top-five national ranking for six weeks running, and fresh off the program's sixth Big Ten Title, this Wolverines are poised to make a run.
The Wolverines are set for three days of action beginning Friday at 9:24 a.m., with the first varsity eight race. U-M is the No. 6 seed, and will row out of the fourth lane in the third heat against No. 2 Stanford, No. 13 Rutgers, No. 16 Harvard, Marist and Rhode Island.
The Michigan second varsity eight is the top-ranked boat for the program, seeded No. 2 overall. It is scheduled to race in the second heat at 10 a.m., in lane three against No. 7 Ohio State, No. 9 Yale, No. 13 Rutgers and Northeastern.
U-M's first varsity four will race third at 11:12 a.m., in the fourth heat out of lane four. The No. 5-seeded boat will line up against No. 7 Ohio State, No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 15 Indiana, Gonzaga, and Northeastern.
As the top-ranked Big Ten program which won the points race in the three championship events, U-M carries the banner for the conference which qualified an NCAA-high six programs in a 22-team field. The top two boats from each Friday race will automatically qualify for the A/B semifinals on Saturday with remaining boats going to repechages later Friday, where they will compete for the remaining A/B semifinal spots. Those boats which do not advance will row in the C/D semifinals on Saturday.
On championship Sunday, the top six boats in each division will race in the grand final, while petite finals will place boats seven through 12. All races will be streamed on NCAA.com throughout the weekend.
Varsity Lineups
1V8: Charlotte Powers (coxswain), Jessica Schoonbee, Caroline Hendershot, Madison Byrd, Victoria Glunt, Grace Collins, Tayla-May Bentley, Kathryn Grotto, Annika Hoffmann
2V8: Erika Yasuda (coxswain), Grace Gagliardi, Meghan Gutknecht, Emma Luniewicz, Jeri Rhodes, Kate Burns, Megan Hinkle, Rachel Fanning, Shayla Lamb
1V4: Emily Krebs, Madeleine Schneider, Perry Bower, Lilia Duncan, Sujin Kim (coxswain)
NCAA Championships Schedule
Friday, May 31
9:24 a.m. -- I Eights Heat 3
10 a.m. -- II Eights Heat 2
11:12 a.m. -- Fours Heat 4
Repechages (if necessary)
4:12 p.m. -- I Eights Repechage 1
4:24 p.m. -- I Eights Repechage 2
4:36 p.m. -- II Eights Repechage 1
4:48 p.m. -- II Eights Repechage 2
5 p.m. -- Fours Repechage 1
5:12 p.m. -- Fours Repechage 2
Saturday, June 1
8:12 a.m. -- I Eights C/D Semifinals
8:24 a.m. -- I Eights C/D Semifinals
8:36 a.m. -- I Eights A/B Semifinals
8:48 a.m. -- I Eights A/B Semifinals
9 a.m. -- II Eights C/D Semifinals
9:12 a.m. -- II Eights C/D Semifinals
9:24 a.m. -- II Eights A/B Semifinals
9:36 a.m. -- II Eights A/B Semifinals
9:48 a.m. -- Fours C/D Semifinals
10 a.m. -- Fours C/D Semifinals
10:12 a.m. -- Fours A/B Semifinals
10:24 a.m. -- Fours A/B Semifinals
Sunday, June 2
8:12 a.m. -- Fours D Final (places 19-22)
8:24 a.m. -- Fours C Final (places 13-18)
8:36 a.m. -- II Eights D Final (places 19-22)
8:48 a.m. -- II Eights C Final (places 13-18)
9 a.m. -- I Eights D Final (places 19-22)
9:12 a.m. -- I Eights C Final (places 13-18)
10:12 a.m. -- Fours Petite Final (places 7-12)
10:24 a.m. -- Fours Grand Final (places 1-6)
10:36 a.m. -- II Eights Petite Final (places 7-12)
10:48 a.m. -- II Eights Grand Final (places 1-6)
11 a.m. -- I Eights Petite Final (places 7-12)
11:12 a.m. -- I Eights Grand Final (places 1-6)
Things to Know
• Eagle Creek is not new to hosting championship events. In addition to playing host to the Big Ten Championships from 2010-18, Eagle Creek was the site of the 2002 and 2003 Division III Championships as well as the 2013-14 championships.
• The Wolverines qualified for the NCAA Championships for the 12th year in a row and 20th time in program history.
• Michigan holds a No. 5 national ranking and all three championship boats are seeded in the top-six in their respective races heading into this weekend: 1V8 (No. 6), 2V8 (No. 2), 1V4 (No. 5).
• U-M is coming off consecutive top-seven national finishes, and looks to return to the podium with a top-three finish for the second time in the last three seasons.
• Seeded sixth overall at the NCAA regatta, U-M's first varsity eight is coming off its first Big Ten title since 2012, timing 6:22.012 for the win. The boat has raced to nine wins this spring, not including the Big Ten Championship.
• The 1V8 has wins over ranked boats -- No. 7 Ohio State, No. 9 Yale, No. 10 Virginia, No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 12 Duke, No. 13 Rutgers, No. 15 Indiana, No. 16 Harvard, No. 19 Syracuse and No. 20 Michigan State, and losses to No. 1 Washington and OSU (twice). All but Syracuse and Michigan State are in the NCAA Championship field.
• The second varsity eight is U-M's highest-ranked boat, seeded second at these championships after its third Big Ten title in five years came in 6:30.479. It boasts wins over 10 teams not including the Big Ten Championships, having collected wins against the  same teams as the first eight, but raced to a 3-0 record against Ohio State and took one loss to the No. 1-ranked Huskies.
• The first varsity four is seeded fifth in its division, and won a silver medal at the Big Ten Championships, finishing in 7:19.003. With wins over 11 programs, including No. 1 Washington, and a 2-1 record against the Buckeyes, this boat rounds out U-M's depth at the championships, making the Wolverines a formidable contender for a podium finish.
• Overall, 16 of 23 athletes from last year's NCAA Championship unit return as part of this year's roster, which makes this an experienced group.
• Returning athletes include (2018 NCAA Championship boat): Gutknecht, Glunt, Lamb, Burns, Hendershot (first varsity eight); Hoffmann, Luniewicz, Bower, Bentley, Hinkle, Grotto, Byrd, Gagliardi, Powers (second varsity eight); and Krebs, Fanning, and Yasuda (first varsity four).
• Their last time on the water, the Wolverines won the Big Ten Championship with 186 points and four gold-medal finishes (1V8, 2V8, 2V4, 1N8). It marked a program-record score and the second-highest total in conference history, along with Michigan's sixth Big Ten Title -- its first since 2012.
• U-M boasts the Big Ten Coach, Athlete, and Freshman of the Year in Mark Rothstein, Caroline Hendershot, and Jessica Schoonbee. The latter two are part of a 1V8 that has led the way for an outstanding spring for the Maize and Blue, with Hendershot rowing seven and Schoonbee in stroke at the Big Ten Championships.
• U-M's Big Ten title yielded five All-Conference selections: Hendershot, Kathryn Grotto, Victoria Glunt (first team); Tayla-May Bentley, Madison Byrd (second team).
• Michigan is part of a historic bid from the Big Ten Conference at this year's NCAA Championships. The conference is sending a record six programs to compete: No. 5 U-M, No. 7 Ohio State, No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 12 Iowa, No. 13 Rutgers and No. 15 Indiana. In this year's field, the Ivy League's four-team bid is the next-highest total by any league. It is the third year in a row the Big Ten has sent five teams or more.
Tweet of the Week
Without fail, this will probably bring tears to eyes until I'm 90 years old. https://t.co/62MGfHDEmM
— Caroline Hendershot (@cghendy) May 26, 2019
Players Mentioned
