Michigan Finishes Fourth at NCAA Championships

Sunday, May 30

Sarasota, Fla.

10:00 AM

Michigan

NCAA Finals

(Michigan Photography)

5/30/2021 2:28:00 PM | Rowing

Photo Gallery

By: Chad Shepard

» U-M totaled 108 points for fourth place in the nation, finishing as the top Big Ten team.
» Michigan's highest-finishing boat was its fourth-place 1V8, which earned 57 points with its finish.
» The Wolverines extended a seven-year streak of top-10 NCAA finishes and have now been top-five in four of the last five years.

Site: Sarasota, Fla. (Nathan Benderson Park)
Event: NCAA Championships Day 3 of 3)
U-M Finish: 4th of 10 Teams (108 points)
First Varsity Eight Finish: 06:23.437 (4th)
Next U-M Event: Season Completed

• Complete Results and Team Standings | Photo Gallery

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan rowing program closed a season two years in the making on Sunday (May 30), ending the 2021 campaign in fourth place at the NCAA Championships at Nathan Benderson Park. The Wolverines put all three boats in the Grand Final for the second straight NCAA regatta, and though the team wanted a return trip to the NCAA podium, this finish marks a memorable championship event.

This season's Big Ten Championship, three-boat Grand Final appearances, and fourth-place team finish put this season in the highest tier of Michigan's history.

"I could not be more proud of this team and our staff, especially (athletic training fellow) Emily Appold, who was unbelievable keeping the team going through the challenges of COVID," said head coach Mark Rothstein.

"We had so far to come this year and two months ago, this did not resemble anything close to our standard as a team. The team hung in there and kept working when they could have quit a dozen times. They didn't, and that's a credit to them and to our seniors, and for this team to put everything together and get fourth place given where we were, it's truly something I will never forget."

The Wolverines earned 108 points in the team standings to finish one place shy of the team podium. The first varsity four earned 17 points with a sixth-place overall finish, and the second varsity eight totaled 34 points with the same placing. The first varsity eight added 57 points with its fourth-place finish.

Rothstein credited the 1V8 with "a really strong race" but acknowledged the boat just did not have enough speed to stay with faster crews. While the 2V8 and 1V4 may not have performed at their best in the Grand Final events, they had excellent seasons and regattas on the whole, and were a big part of the team's fourth-place finish.

"Those are both young boats, and I think they learned a lot this weekend," said Rothstein. "We have a lot to look forward to as a program."

Rainy weather and the potential for lightning caused a slight delay the start of the schedule, but events were bumped by no more than about 10 minutes or so. There was a minor headwind in the early morning, but that was only in comparison to the last two days of pristine racing conditions. The water was smooth and ready for fast races.

Michigan's first event was the 1V4 Grand Final. U-M was in lane six on the outside of Virginia, and began with a strong start, about a half-deck behind leaders Texas and Stanford. Through 500 meters, the Longhorns were setting the pace while Washington joined the Cardinal among the closest-chasing boats. Before long, the lead trio was nearly a full length ahead of the next boat.

As the boats approached the 1,000-meter mark, the Huskies made a move to take a small lead over UT. In the next bunch, the Wolverines were neck and neck with Virginia while Ohio State began to push onto U-M and UVA. Up front, Washington began to separate with open water on Texas, and Stanford moved into second. Virginia had contact with Texas around 1,250 meters, and U-M hung onto Virginia as all boats prepared to begin the sprint.

Through the final stretch, the leaders kept growing their separation. The Huskies were a length up on Stanford, which was a length up on Texas. Virginia continued to creep onto Texas, and Stanford began a strong move into UW. But across the course in lane one, Ohio State made a move and U-M lost a few seats. The Wolverines responded and earned back ground, but the Buckeyes' momentum proved tough to overcome. U-M crossed sixth with a time of 7:15.716, marking a difficult finish to an outstanding season and championship event.

In the 2V8 event, U-M lined up outside Stanford in the sixth lane. Texas and Stanford began the race out front, giving U-M a leader to keep pace with in the early going. Through 500 meters, Stanford pushed hard as it tried to separate with the lead. Texas and Washington were the next-closest boats, and U-M looked poised just a few seats behind the Huskies. Washington began moving into Texas as the Longhorns picked up their pace, and U-M began to lose the Huskies slightly as the boats approached the halfway point.

As the Huskies and Longhorns drew even, U-M lost contact with the second- and third-place boats as the race seemed to split into two. Four lanes across, Virginia, Ohio State and U-M squared up and began the fight for fourth place. Near the 1,500, Washington passed Texas for second place. U-M lost a few seats during the third 500 and tried its best to reel in the Buckeyes and Cavaliers, but were running out of water to do so.

In a true photo finish, the Huskies moved ahead of Stanford in the final 100 meters and pulled themselves three seats ahead of the Cardinal just ahead of the finish line. It was a dramatic ending to a fantastic race, with Texas crossing third and OSU fourth. U-M found itself unable to keep its pacing towards the end, and Virginia crossed fifth with the Wolverines in sixth, timing 6:36.314 to cross 3.26 seconds behind Virginia.

This championship event was two years in the making, so it would not have been appropriate to have an event totally free of delays. Darkening clouds had been tamed all morning, but during the the penultimate event on the schedule (1V8 Petite Final), a possibility of lightning caused a postponement of the 1V8 Grand Final. Boats that were in the water ready to race had to get off the course, which led to significant delay. Originally scheduled to begin a 10:48 a.m., the race was not run until almost two hours later at 12:40 p.m.

The drama was at an all-time high for the 1V8 Grand Final with the team title on the line between Stanford, Washington and Texas and the payoff race did not disappoint. The winning boat scored 66 points with second place earning 63 and third place earning 60. Entering the race, Washington led all teams with 66 total points, while Stanford (63) and Texas (60) were right on their heels.

At 51 points on the afternoon, Michigan had its own turf to defend. With Ohio State done for the day at 104 points, U-M needed a strong finish to end the season as the top team nationally in the Big Ten, and Virginia (55 points) was in the mix for fourth place overall. U-M was in lane five for the race, situated between UVA on the outside and Stanford inside.

It was nearly even across six lanes through the first 250 meters, and U-M jumped out to the first lead of the race. The Wolverines took a deck-length lead over Washington with Virginia close behind. The Huskies came about even with U-M near 500 meters but it was a high stroke-rate pace set by the Wolverines.

U-M continued to lead the pack but it was tight, with a 0.54-second lead at 500 meters, and Stanford began to charge into the leaders, passing the Huskies and drawing even with U-M. The Cardinal turned that momentum into a lead at 750 meters with U-M in second, and Texas and Washington continued to apply pressure.

At 1,000 meters, Michigan clocked in at third with Texas in second and Washington about even with the Wolverines. Stanford had about half a boat length on Texas and the Longhorns began to push near the 1,250-meter mark. Washington and the Wolverines continued to trade bow balls for third place with a medal on the line.

Down the final quarter of the race, Washington pushed ahead of U-M and tried to separate, but the Wolverines clawed forward with each stroke. Finally, UW broke free of the Wolverines and went up about a half-length on the Maize and Blue. In the lead pack, Texas continued a long sprint and drew even with Stanford. The crowd, rain-dampened and frenetic after the two-hour delay, saw the storybook ending happening before it. The Longhorns surged into first place with Stanford in silver-medal position and Washington in third place.

The order of team standings was reversed, and Texas claimed gold and the 66 points that came with it. But the Longhorns, Huskies and Cardinal were all tied with 126 points apiece. By virtue of a tiebreaker rule that deems 1V8 placement as the deciding factor, Texas was awarded the national championship as a team.

The Wolverines had an outstanding championship season, and the team's fourth-place finish marks seven years in a row with a top-10 national placement for the program. U-M was the top Big Ten team in the country for the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Championships, edging out Ohio State (sixth place) and Rutgers (seventh). With three teams in the top-10, the Big Ten matched the Pac-12 for top conference representation.

Today's result brings a conclusion to the 2021 season, among the most decorated in program history and a continuation of the outstanding success U-M has had as a program since the 2017 season.

Results

Team Standings
1. Texas -- 126 points*
2. Stanford -- 126 points
3. Washington -- 126 points
4. MICHIGAN -- 108
5. Virginia -- 106
6. Ohio State -- 104
7. Rutgers -- 96
8. Brown -- 88
9. California -- 83
10. Syracuse -- 69

* Team points tiebreaker is placing in the 1V8 race

First Varsity Eight
1. Texas -- 6:17.387
2. Stanford -- 6:18.891
3. Washington -- 6:21.715
4. MICHIGAN -- 6:23.437
5. Rutgers -- 6:27.635
6. Virginia -- 6:30.113

Second Varsity Eight
1. Washington -- 6:23.232
2. Stanford -- 6:24.482
3. Texas -- 6:29.088
4. Ohio State -- 6:32.086
5. Virginia -- 6:33.288
6. MICHIGAN -- 6:36.314

First Varsity Four
1. Washington -- 7:02.172
2. Stanford -- 7:03.258
3. Texas -- 7:07.186
4. Virginia -- 7:09.112
5. Ohio State -- 7:14.244
6. MICHIGAN -- 7:15.716

Michigan Lineup

1V8: Charlotte Powers (coxswain), Annika Hoffmann, Tayla-May Bentley, Lilia Duncan, Madison Byrd, Kate Burns, Grace Collins, Ariana Shokoohi, Julia Gehlert