Michigan
NCAA Heats
U-M Advances All Boats after First Day at NCAA Championships
5/27/2022 9:09:00 PM | Rowing
Site: Sarasota, Fla. (Nathan Benderson Park)
Event: NCAA Championships (Day 1 of 3)
First Varsity Eight Finish: 6:15.564 (1st of 7)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, May 28 -- at NCAA Championships - Day 2 (Sarasota, Fla), 8:48 a.m.
SARASOTA, Fla. -- The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan rowing program began its NCAA Championships weekend with a positive first day of racing on Friday (May 27) at Nathan Benderson Park (NBP). The Wolverines advanced one boat to A/B semifinals (1V4) with two (1V8, 2V8) competing in repechages later this afternoon.
Skies were clear and temperatures were in the mid-70's for morning racing. There was a light tailwind but racing conditions were near ideal. The Wolverines parlayed the warm weather into strong performances, earning one top-two finish to go with two third-place finishes.
In the first race of the day, the 1V8 finished third to appear in reps later Friday (May 27) afternoon. U-M lined up in lane four between Princeton and Duke in the second heat. The Wolverines are no strangers to the Duke Blue Devils after defeating them during the Big Ten-ACC Invitational (Apr 2) and doing so again today.
Princeton obtained the early lead coming out of the start with Michigan and Cal putting pressure on the leader. With Michigan lengthening its stroke through the first 250m, the battle for second was tight. Princeton kept up its impressive stroke rate, not letting up its quick start and pushing the two boats to a competitive pace. Approaching 500 meters, Cal took the lead ahead of Michigan, now setting its sights on Princeton. Michigan kept pressing, increasing its rate to 37 strokes per minute in an attempt to gain water. After falling 3.572 seconds behind the leader after 1000 meters, the Wolverines were looking to take second place in order to avoid reps later in the afternoon. The leaders held their positions, however, pushing Michigan to finish 5.61 seconds after Cal and ending the race at 6:18.070.
In the second varsity eight race, the Wolverines took third in a dramatic finish that left .881 seconds separating second and third place. U-M appeared with bucket in the fourth and fifth seat of the boat as the Wolverines lined up in lane four between Texas (lane three) and Oregon State (lane five).
Michigan had a clean start and began the race by positioning its boat alongside the No. 1 ranked Texas boat. After 250 meters, Texas had taken a few feet over Michigan with the Maize and Blue beginning to establish itself as the second-place boat. Approaching 750 meters, Michigan had taken a couple of seats on the SMU Mustangs while also gaining water on the leading Texas boat. While the Wolverines were pressing on the Longhorns, the SMU boat in lane 2 began generating more speed to decrease the gap between it and Michigan. Reaching the last 500 meters, the sprint from the Mustangs seemed to pay off as they pushed the Wolverines into third place.
Perhaps the day's strongest showing came from the 1V4, as U-M lined up between Stanford and Big Ten opponent Rutgers. In addition to seeing Rutgers at the Big Ten Championship (May 15), the Maize and Blue raced the Scarlet Knights, Stanford and Virginia at the Big Ten Invitational that took place in April. U-M defeated Stanford by 3.643 then but the Cardinals seemed to be racing with a vengeance today as they took first in the heat.
Stanford took the early lead with Michigan right on the Cardinal's heels. The Wolverines proved their strength as they pushed their bow ball equal to Stanford's. Both boats appeared composed and unaffected by the tight race and were relatively even going into the 1000-meter mark. Stanford then began to stretch the strokes in order to create a gap. Virginia was battling for third in lane two as Michigan produced a length of open water separation and took second. Â Â
The Maize and Blue 1V8 and 2V8 will be racing in reps later this afternoon (Friday) beginning at 3:30 p.m.
Results
First Varsity Eight
1. Princeton -- 6:09.912
2. California -- 6:12.460
3. MICHIGAN -- 6:18.460
4. Duke -- 6:31.550
5. Gonzaga -- 6:39.122
Second Varsity Eight
1. Texas -- 6:18.360
2. SMU -- 6:23.043
3. MICHIGAN -- 6:23.924
4. Southern California -- 6:38.613
5. Oregon State -- 6:39.955
First Varsity Four
1. Stanford -- 6:54.374
2. MICHIGAN -- 6:59.627
3. Virginia -- 7:04.851
4. Rutgers -- 7:07.035
5. Northeastern -- 7:42.004
Afternoon Update
Racing in the repechages, U-M's 1V8 and 2V8 avenged its close-morning finish by winning outright and placing second in the heat, respectively. The boats will be advancing to the A/B semifinals, which are set to begin Saturday (May 28) at 8:48 a.m.
The weather in the afternoon was not nearly as calm as seen earlier in the morning. With cloudy skies and a Southwind, the water was choppy which made the competition rely on strategy to race cleanly.
In Michigan's first repechages race, the 1V8 sported a bucket in the sixth and seventh seat of the boat, as it lined up in lane four between SMU (lane three) and Rutgers (lane five). Early speed from Syracuse in lane two, allowed the boat to jump off the line and into the lead. With quick paces from the Mustangs and the Scarlet Knights, the Wolverines settled into fourth.
At the 500-meter mark. the Maize and Blue became the fastest mover, taking half of a length lead over SMU and Rutgers. Upon taking the lead, U-M looked comfortable and confident taking long strokes to finish out the race. The last 500 meters featured the Scarlet Knights generating speed in order to cut into the Michigan lead, but with SMU looking to take a place the Wolverines finished at 6:15.564 with a two-seat lead.
In the second varsity eight race, U-M rowed from lane four between Pennsylvania in lane three and Rutgers in lane five. At the start it was a close battle between Pennsylvania, Rutgers, and Syracuse for the lead. Close to the 400-meter mark, the Wolverines began creating momentum seeking to take a place from one of the three boats. After 750 meters, U-M was seen taking seats and overtook Syracuse in lane two for third place.
Michigan's speed seemed to make Rutgers uncomfortable as the last 500 meters was a battle for second place. The Maize and Blue dug in and showed its grit and secured a spot in the A/B semifinals racing 6:24.424, finishing behind Pennsylvania.
For U-M, racing begins again on Saturday (May 28) at 8:48 a.m. (Heat 2, Lane 6) with the 1V8 A/B semifinal. The 2V8 race will begin at 9:36 a.m. (Heat 2, Lane 1) and the 1V4 race begins at 10:12 a.m. (Heat 1, Lane 2).
Repechages Results
First Varsity Eight
1. MICHIGAN -- 6:15.564
2. SMU -- 6:16.894
3. Rutgers -- 6:17.384
4. Syracuse -- 6:26.510
5. Gonzaga -- 6:33.742
6. Rhode Island -- 6:39.402
7. Boston -- 6:42.360
Second Varsity Eight
1. Pennsylvania -- 6:22.838
2. MICHIGAN -- 6:24.424
3. Rutgers -- 6:25.806
4. Syracuse -- 6:29.538
5. Oregon St -- 6:38.474
6. Northeastern -- 6:52.876
7. Rhode Island -- 7:08.164
Michigan Lineup
1V8: Charlotte Powers (coxswain), Jessica Schoonbee, Katie Easton, Kate Burns, Grace Collins, Elena Collier-Hezel, Abigail Dent, Gabrielle Graves, Ariana Shokoohi
2V8: Ainslie Evans (coxswain), Jeri Rhodes, Carla Russell, Sarah McKay, Brooke Gietzen, Zara Collisson, Noa Sreden, Kathryn Ward, Victoria Cooke
1V4: Cecilia Spesia, Emma Luniewicz, Aubrey Fitts, Annaka Draaisma, Kaitlin Nemeh (coxswain)
Players Mentioned
