Michigan
Big Ten Invitational
U-M Wraps Successful Big Ten Invitational with More Fast Times
4/16/2022 1:24:00 PM | Rowing
Site: Sarasota, Fla. (Nathan Benderson Park)
Event: Big Ten Invitational (Day 2 of 2) Â
First Varsity Eight Finish: 6:10.33 (2nd of 4)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, May 1 -- vs. Louisville, 9 a.m.
• Full Results
SARASOTA, Fla. Â -- The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan rowing program wrapped competition at the Big Ten Invitational in style on Saturday (April 16), finishing first or second in every race while posting some of the weekend's fastest times. The Wolverines built on Friday's momentum by sweeping the varsity four and novice eight races and placing second to No. 2 Stanford in both varsity eight events while posting the fastest times of the season.
U-M continued to show speed and growth as a lineup. Up and down the racing schedule, maize and blue boats competed hard and rowed together, which showed in fast times and a collection of first-place finishes.
Temperatures were creeping into the mid-70's for the first set of races, and were into the 80's by the time the schedule finished. Winds were mildly more noticeable than Friday at a variable crosswind. Racing in the Florida heat has been an adjustment for the Midwest-based programs, including the Wolverines, but the experience is valuable since the teams will be returning to the Sarasota area in a little over a month's time for the NCAA Championship weekend (May 27-29).
The Wolverines have now raced against the No. 1 (Texas) and No. 2 (Stanford) teams in the country in consecutive regattas, not to mention the other nine ranked programs competing in Sarasota this weekend. The tough schedule will prove valuable as the postseason draws closer.
"We all knew this would be an important weekend on the schedule," said junior Annaka Draaisma, who stroked the 1V4 all weekend.
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"We had a good week of training this week and The Big Ten Invitational was a chance to show teams the hard work we've been putting in. I thought our team used (the competitive setting) as fuel and really took it in stride, and our results are something to be proud of because they show how much our speed is building. It's exciting to see how far we've come in a few weeks and to know that there is even more to come."
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Draaisma noted that the championship-style event offered a chance for athletes to grow comfortable competing in a busier setting.
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"This weekend is definitely different from what we've experienced so far this season," said Draaisma, "From the venue to the number of other teams racing, even to the number of boats in each event. We also used the boot starting system, which is used at the NCAA Championships. There is just a lot going on on the course and it's important to experience that and get used to it so it feels natural. It can seem different but at the end of the day you want it to feel like just another race."
The 1V8 placed second to Stanford in a crisp 6:10.33 (+2.066), the fastest time by the Wolverines so far this spring. It was a great market of improvement for the team's top boat, showing they can compete with the best in the country. The 2V8 offered a similar performance and earned the same outlook, timing 6:21.081 to finish a couple of lengths behind the Cardinal. Facing the Pac-12's best, the maize and blue looked the part as the top-ranked team from the Big Ten.
The varsity fours built on a perfect day one with a clean second day of racing, going three-for-three to complete the weekend sweep with nine race wins. Each of the three boats -- beginning with the 2V4 (7:12.833), then the 3V4 (7:23.489), and finally the 1V4 in a blazing 7:05.430 -- recorded their fastest pieces of the weekend. The 3V4 had the largest win with a margin of +12.347 seconds, followed by the 2V4's win of +5.853 seconds and the 1V4's win of +3.643 seconds. Stanford was the runner-up in the 1V4 and 2V4 races with OSU coming second in the 3V4 event.
The Wolverines' novice eight boats were strong all weekend and that continued on Saturday. The first novice eight boat won a very tight race, besting Virginia by 1.117 seconds with a timing time of 6:41.487. The 2N8 completed the perfect weekend (six race wins) with a win of 3.723 seconds.
U-M will head back home and enjoy one weekend free of competition while classes wrap up and exams get underway. Then the team will host the University of Louisville for Senior Day on Sunday, May 1 before postseason preparations begin.
Results
First Varsity Eight
1. Stanford -- 6:08.267
2. MICHIGAN -- 6:10.330
3. Ohio State -- 6:14.250
4. Virginia -- 6:23.577
Second Varsity Eight
1. Stanford -- 6:14.901
2. MICHIGAN -- 6:21.081
3. Ohio State -- 6:24.597
4. Virginia -- 6:25.514
First Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:05.430
2. Stanford -- 7:09.073
3. Ohio State -- 7:10.766
4. Virginia -- 7:18.900
Second Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:12.833
2. Stanford -- 7:18.686
3. Virginia -- 7:26.203
4. Ohio State -- 7:34.033
Third Varsity Four
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:23.489
2. Rutgers -- 7:35.836
3. Ohio State -- 7:42.162
4. Wisconsin -- 7:46.612
5. Tennessee -- 8:14.769
First Novice Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 6:41.487
2. Virginia -- 6:42.604
3. Stanford -- 6:47.230
Second Novice Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 7:09.144
2. Rutgers -- 7:12.837
3. Ohio State -- 7:18.674
4. Wisconsin -- 7:23.290
Varsity Lineup
1V8: Charlotte Powers (coxswain), Jessica Schoonbee, Kate Burns, Grace Collins, Gabrielle Graves, Abigail Dent, Zara Collisson, Ariana Shokoohi, Elena Collier-Hezel
2V8: Ainslie Evans (coxswain), Cecilia Spesia, Brooke Gietzen, Sarah McKay, Carla Russell, Katie Easton, Noa Sreden, Emma Luniewicz, Jeri Rhodes
1V4: Annaka Draaisma, Gracie Landefeld, Kathryn Ward, Olivia McMullen, Kayla Ehrlich (coxswain)
2V4: Lauren Sickmiller, Madelyn Ball, Elle Caton, Aubrey Fitts, Kaitlin Nemeh (coxswain)
3V4: Delaney Evans, Kate Lucken, Lauren Benitez, Julia Casey, Rocky Morabito (coxswain)
1N8: Sophie McSpedon (coxswain), Abby Hathaway, Erin Benitez, Anna Muench, Emily Nelson, Allison Hall, Lauren Boydston, Megan Kleiner, Emma Pettigrew
2N8: Gabby Franco-Borges (coxswain), Caroline Kevnick, Ellen Koselka, Lauren Lier, Madeline Lohse, Alana Maffesoli, Madeline Carr, Charlotte Trunsky, Evyn Johnson
Players Mentioned
