Michigan
Duke, Michigan State
Fours Pile Wins, Eights Have Mixed Results in ACC, Big Ten Races
4/3/2021 1:09:00 PM | Rowing
» U-M's 1V8 finished second place to No. 10 Duke in the first set of races and second to No. 3 Virginia in the second set.
» Michigan's 2V8 was runner-up in the early morning but won its second event, while the 1V4, 2V4 and 3V4 boats all swept, as did U-M's novice eights.
» Strong headwinds, especially in the middle 1,000 meters and down the closing stretch, made for tough conditions.
Site: Columbus, Ohio (Griggs Reservoir)
Event:Â Big Ten/ACC Regatta
First Varsity Eight Finishes:Â 2nd of 3 (6:49.48), 2nd of 3 (7:05.47)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 10 -- vs. Texas (Belleville Lake)
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan rowing program totaled 13 race wins across a 16 events during a two-session regatta on Saturday (April 3) at Griggs Reservoir. While U-M hoped to collect more wins from the varsity eight boats, there was plenty to be excited about, including a sweep from the varsity fours, during an action-packed morning in Columbus.
Back to the Buckeye State for the second weekend in a row, Michigan traveled a full championship roster (two varsity eights, three varsity fours, two novice eights). The Wolverines lined up against top Atlantic Coast Conference teams No. 3 Virginia and No. 10 Duke along with Big Ten opponents Michigan State, Minnesota and, in a few events, No. 6 Ohio State.
The Wolverines showed they have room to get faster against some top-10 competition in Columbus but also had strong races throughout the day. U-M's 1V8 finished second place to Duke in the first set of races and second to Virginia in the second set. The 2V8 was runner-up in the morning but won its second event. It was a better weekend for the fours boats. The 1V4, 2V4 and 3V4 boats all swept, as did U-M's novice eights.
"We have time to get where we want to be, but we have some work to do," said head coach Mark Rothstein. "I am pleased with our depth. The fours had a great weekend and the novices did a good job, too. We just have to keep getting faster and I know that we will have opportunities to do that."
Races began in the early morning, but winds still provided harder-than-usual early spring conditions for racing in the Midwest. The headwind grew stronger later in the morning and later into the course as the water became bumpier, providing a challenge for athletes to push through conditions and maintain technique to provide exciting racing. The schedule was adjusted to race varsity eight boats first and novices last.
Michigan's first varsity eight started off the morning against No. 10 Duke and MSU. The Blue Devils jumped out front and had a commanding lead early, but U-M maintained connection between the boats and waited to make a move as both teams put open water on MSU. A first push near the 1,000-meter mark helped pick up some ground, and the Wolverines continued gaining seats during the latter half of the race. The boat's big move came between the 1,500- and 1,750-meter marks but too late in the race for the Wolverines to catch the Blue Devils. Duke came in just ahead at 6:48.40 with U-M less than a second behind at 6:49.48.
The 1V8 came back in the late morning with a retooled lineup stroked by Grace Collins with morning stroke Caitlin Esse in bow seat. The Wolverines started fast; U-M built a lead of a couple of seats early on UVA with MSU falling a length back. Near the 500 mark, UVA picked up the pace and gained the lead. The Cavaliers began to walk away from the Wolverines and put open water on U-M in the latter half of the race. Michigan finished second with UVA winning in 7:00.30 (+5.17).
In the first 2V8 race, things were tighter early on. Duke did develop an early lead, but U-M pushed back within the first 500 meters to draw even and took a multi-seat lead by the 750-meter mark. U-M developed a lead of nearly eight seats before the Blue Devils started inching their way back, while MSU fell behind. The Wolverines held off Duke and began to walk away in the second half with coxswain Alexandra Gabel on Duke's bow number. In the final 500, U-M put open water on Duke and finished at 7:04.90 with a win of more than six seconds.
In the second race, the 2V8 was down a bowlength to UVA early and was not able to make an effective move to earn back space. UVA put open water on the Wolverines, and U-M pushed over the final 500 to close the gap but came in 5.98 seconds behind the Cavaliers (7:16.1).
In its first race, the 1V4 set the tone for the day for all of U-M's fours. The boat gained seats quickly and nearly had open water by 500 meters before Duke made its first move. The Wolverines matched pace and held them off effectively. The Spartans were a length and a half back of Duke near the halfway point. As the Wolverines began their sprint they held a length and a half of open water, and they increased their lead over the sprint, stretching it to a win of 13.81 seconds in 7:50.90.
In the second set of races, the 1V4 put open water on UVA early and did not look back. Winds had gotten strong by this point in the day, and all boats were facing a significant headwind throughout the race. However, that did not deter the Wolverines as they only pulled further away from the Cavaliers, besting UVA by 8.39 seconds.
The 2V4 and 3V4 races brought dominating U-M performances in the first session as well. The 2V4 won by 19.37 seconds, and the 3V4 won by 37.74 seconds. In the second set, the results were the same despite a tighter 2V4 event. The 2V4 won by 10.28 seconds on UVA, and the 3V4 bested the Buckeyes by 38.41 seconds.
The novice boats continued a hot start to the season with wins in all four races. The 2N8 boat got to face the Buckeyes once again after racing against OSU last weekend. OSU got the better of U-M last weekend, but the Wolverines were victorious today, and fans were treated to an especially close win in the second session.
The Maize and Blue will host Texas at Belleville Lake next weekend, returning to race at home for the first time this year. The event is not open to the public, but races will be streamed live on the umichrowing Instagram page with live results available on Twitter.
Results
First Session
First Varsity Eight
1. Duke -- 6:48.60
2. MICHIGAN -- 6:49.48
3. Michigan State -- 7:15.29
Second Varsity Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:04.90
2. Duke -- 7:11.22
3. Michigan State -- 7:42.02
First Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:50.90
2. Duke -- 8:04.71
3. Michigan State -- 8:27.49
Second Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 8:02.5
2. Duke -- 8:21.87
Third Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:56.60
2. Ohio State -- 8:34.34
First Novice Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:14.3
2. Duke -- 7:19.61
3. Michigan State -- 7:50.41
Second Novice Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:26.30
2. Ohio State -- 7:33.12
Second Session
First Varsity Eight
1. Virginia -- 7:00.30
2. MICHIGAN -- 7:05.47
3. Michigan State -- 7:35.66
Second Varsity Eight
1. Virginia -- 7:16.1
2. MICHIGAN -- 7:22.08
3. Michigan State -- 8:04.90
First Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 8:13.90
2. Virginia -- 8:22.29
3. Michigan State -- 8:50.79
Second Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 8:17.9
2. Virginia -- 8:28.18
Third Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 8:13.70
2. Ohio State -- 8:59.86
First Novice Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:50.10
2. Virginia -- 7:59.15
3. Michigan State -- 8:36.68
Second Novice Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 8:13.60
2. Ohio State -- 8:16.94
Michigan Lineups
1V8 (first session): Charlotte Powers (coxswain), Caitlin Esse, Elena Collier-Hezel, Tayla-May Bentley, Madison Byrd, Zara Collisson, Grace Collins, Lilia Duncan, Annika Hoffmann
1V8 (second session): Charlotte Powers (coxswain), Grace Collins, Lilia Duncan, Madison Byrd, Tayla-May Bentley, Elena Collier-Hezel, Zara Collisson, Annika Hoffmann, Caitlin Esse
2V8: Alexandra Gabel (coxswain), Julia Gehlert, Victoria Cooke, Kate Burns, Paige Badenhorst, Abigail Dent, Noa Sreden, Annaka Draaisma, Emma Luniewicz
1V4: Ariana Shokoohi, Ember Larson, Jeri Rhodes, Lauren Benitez, Kayla Ehrlich (coxswain)
2V4 (first session): Kathryn Ward, Olivia McMullen, Megan Hinkle, Aubrey Fitts, Kaitlin Nemeh (coxswain)
2V4 (second session): Delaney Evans, Olivia McMullen, Megan Hinkle, Aubrey Fitts, Kaitlin Nemeh (coxswain)
3V4 (first session): Lillian Mei, Tara Flaherty, Sarah McKay, Delaney Evans, Darien Moses (coxswain)
3V4 (second session): Sarah McKay, Kathryn Ward, Taylor Toudouze, Lauren Sickmiller, Ainslie Evans (coxswain)
1N8: Faith Bridgeman (coxswain), Olivia Krum, Katie Lucken, Brooke Gietzen, Sophia Rallis, Olivia Olk, Ashley Veldheer, Chloe Pulick, Annika Ehrlacher
2N8: Caitlin Dusenbury (coxswain), Lily Pence, Elle Caton, Isabel Mezei, Lauren Langley, Julia Casey, Lauren Nemeh, Kate Kikilo, Kaylin Eighmey
Players Mentioned
