Michigan
Iowa, Louisville
Michigan Cruises Past Iowa, Louisville in Regular-Season Finale
5/2/2021 12:37:00 PM | Rowing
» The Wolverines hosted their second event of the spring at Belleville Lake after welcoming Texas in April, and completed a sweep by winning all six races.
» U-M's 1V8 picked up an impressive victory, crossing ahead of Louisville and Iowa for the win.
» Despite sunny skies and warm temperatures, the crews battled through strong crosswinds and some chop on the water.
» After another weekend off competition, U-M will race in Indianapolis at the Big Ten Championships (May 16).
Site: Belleville, Mich. (Belleville Lake)
Event: Michigan vs. Iowa, Louisville (Senior Day)
First Varsity Eight Finish: 6:36.95 (1st)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, May 16 -- at Big Ten Championships (Indianapolis, Ind.), TBA
• Photo Gallery
BELLEVILLE, Mich. -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan rowing program swept Big Ten foe Iowa and ACC opponent Louisville on Sunday (May 2) during the program's second of two home regattas on Belleville Lake. U-M defeated the Hawkeyes and Cardinals in every event, winning six races in total, to close out the regular season in winning fashion.
Sunny skies made for a beautiful morning on the water. Temperatures were into the low 70s by the time the morning ended. A strong crosswind required expert planning and communication from coxswains up and down the lineup as crews battled a chop on the water, particularly in the middle of the course.
The event was scheduled to include a post-event Senior Day Recognition, but U-M has had to delay the event. Details will be announced at a later date. But that did not take away from how special it was for the seniors present to race at Belleville Lake one final time.
Senior coxswains Eliese Hornberger-Rocco (3V4), Darien Moses (2V4), and Charlotte Powers (1V8) all guided their boats to wins during the session and several more departing student-athletes used the chance to race on Belleville Lake for the last time as motivation for outstanding racing.
Powers guided the 1V8 to an impressive victory in 6:36.95, crossing more than 16 seconds ahead of Louisville. The race was tight through about 700 meters before U-M pulled away. Seniors Paige Badenhorst, Kate Burns, Julia Gehlert, Emma Luniewicz and Noa Sreden gave this boat an experienced lineup, but the collective group had not spent much time together in a boat. It did not show watching their performance.
For Badenhorst and Gehlert, it was their last race at home and they seized the moment with a strong showing. Louisville took the first lead of the race, and U-M did not let itself find behind. By 200 meters, Michigan had taken over the lead, but not enough to separate from the pack. When the water started to chop, the Wolverines and Cardinals moved ahead and then were pushed even further ahead of the Hawkeyes when Iowa caught a crab, taking them out of the race. U-M navigated the chop beautifully and grew its lead when the race became a two-boat affair, pushing further and further ahead of the Cardinals to develop what would become a margin of victory of 16.12 seconds.
In the 2V8 race, Michigan led from the start with Louisville pushing the Wolverines in the early going. Racing was tightly packed; only slim leads existed between the first-place U-M boat and the two boats jockeying for second and third. Iowa moved into second place over the middle 500 meters, giving the Wolverines chase.
The 2V8 featured Megan Hinkle as the boat's lone senior, and also had three true freshmen in the lineup. Hinkle helped generate exceptional speed for the boat as it rowed together for the first time all spring. During a period of calm waters, the boat upped its stroke rate and took a three-seat lead and stretched it to a 15-seat lead. That proved to be enough for the win, as U-M timed 6:45.5 to beat Hawkeyes by 10 seconds and Louisville by closer to 30.
The 1V4 race was conducted last after a slight schedule change, and it was another excellent event. Taylor Toudouze and Kathryn Ward held the senior mantle in the boat and they made sure their boat was fueled to win.
U-M put a boat length of open water on the field by the 500-meter mark, and it was Louisville and Iowa trading bow balls for the second place. The Wolverines continued stretching their open water lead as the boats fought through rough waters, even white capping in some areas. Despite this, U-M kept its commanding lead in check all the way through the finish line, timing 7:28.34 for the victory. Louisville charged into Iowa and tried eating into the lead. They passed the Hawkeyes near the 1,500-meter mark and erased the deficit for the last time, cruising to second place.
The 2V4 event saw another dominant U-M performance. Seniors Ally Eggleton and Lara Vanderbilt, the subject of last month's Scholar Stories feature, helped lead the crew. The 2V4's lead was not significant in the early going but once the stroke rate rose, the boat cruised ahead of its opponents and left them far behind. Iowa and Louisville ended up fighting for second place, with U-M crossing 49.43 seconds ahead of the second-place Hawkeyes.
In the 3V4 race, with U-M's boat coxed by Hornberger-Rocco, U-M made a statement. The team had put open water on Iowa only 200 meters into the race. The Wolverines kept pushing the pace, even battling through a wake in the middle of the course, and built a lead of more than four boat lengths by the 1,000-meter mark. Over the final half, U-M's lead extended to 100 meters over the Hawkeyes, and they crossed the finish line more 40.42 seconds ahead of Iowa.
Michigan's 1N8 boat began the day with a 14.21-second win over Iowa. U-M's 2N8 placed second. The 1N8 boat put a boat length or more of open water through the halfway mark of the race, continuing its impressive racing in recent weeks.
Results
First Varsity Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 6:36.95
2. Louisville -- 6:53.07
3. Iowa -- 7:37.01
Second Varsity Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 6:45.5
2. Iowa -- 6:55.69
3. Louisville -- 7:13.78
First Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:28.34
2. Louisville -- 7:47.59
3. Iowa -- 8:01.72
Second Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:32.0
2. Iowa -- 8:21.43
3. Louisville --Â 8:24.59
Third Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:53.84
2. Iowa -- 8:33.46
First Novice Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- (winning time not recorded)
2. Iowa (1N8) -- +14.21
3. MICHIGAN (2N8) -- +24.80
4. Iowa (2N8) -- +34.05
MICHIGAN LINEUP
1V8: Charlotte Powers (coxswain), Julia Gehlert, Ariana Shokoohi, Kate Burns, Noa Sreden, Elena Collier-Hezel, Paige Badenhorst, Zara Collisson, Emma Luniewicz
2V8: Alexandra Gabel (coxswain), Lillian Mei, Victoria Cooke, Delaney Evans, Megan Hinkle, Lauren Benitez, Abigail Dent, Tara Flaherty, Sarah McKay
1V4: Kathryn Ward, Madelyn Ball, Taylor Toudouze, Haven Essien, Ainslie Evans (coxswain)
2V4: Lauren Sickmiller, Ally Eggleton, Lara Vanderbilt, Jeri Rhodes, Darien Moses (coxswain)
3V4: Annika Ehrlacher, Kendra Sanders, Caroline McGee, Hadley Camp, Eliese Hornberger-Rocco (coxswain)
1N8: Faith Bridgeman (coxswain), Isabel Mezei, Brooke Gietzen, Katie Lucken, Julia Casey, Olivia McMullen, Ashley Veldheer, Chloe Pulick, Olivia Krum
2N8: Caitlin Dusenbury (coxswain), Lily Pence, Lauren Langley, Olivia Olk, Sophie Rallis, Hawthorne Haywood, Molly Maloy, Kate Kikilo, Brooke Harrison
Players Mentioned
