Michigan
NCAA Finals
Michigan Posts Eighth Consecutive Top-10 Finish at NCAA Championships
5/29/2022 1:50:00 PM | Rowing
Site: Sarasota, Fla. (Nathan Benderson Park)
Event: NCAA Championships (Day 3 of 3)
U-M Finish: 10th overall (73)
First Varsity Eight Finish: 6:26.210 (4 of 6)
Next U-M Event: Season Completed
• Complete Results and Standings | Photo Gallery
SARASOTA, Fla. -- The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan rowing program ended the 2022 season on Sunday (May 29) in tenth place at the NCAA Championship at Nathan Benderson Park. The Wolverines put all three boats in the Petite Final which granted the team 73 points for a top-10 finish.
Weather was sunny with no clouds in sight and temperatures reaching 90 by the time races were concluded. Winds were non-existent as teams were presented with ideal racing conditions on the most important day of the championships.
Michigan earned 73 points in the team standings to finish tenth overall. The first varsity four scored 12 points with an eleventh-place overall finish, and the second varsity eight totaled 22 points in twelfth place. The first varsity eight added 39 points with a tenth-place finish.
Michigan's first event was the 1V4 and the Wolverines lined up in the third lane between Rutgers (lane five) and Yale (lane four). Pushing off of a clean start, all the crews looked even heading into the first 100 meters of the race before Virginia edged its bow in front. Each boat began to lengthen its strokes to step into its base rate going into the body of the piece as Yale sat in second with USC, Michigan and Cal fighting for third. Going into the 750-meter mark, Cal began to focus its boat as the Golden Bears formed a lead over the Wolverines.
Into 1000 meters, the crews of Michigan, Rutgers and Southern California were competing stroke for stroke as the fight for fourth continued. All crews were connected during the last 500 meters of the race with no open water leads. Virginia was the first boat to make a move for the finish as it attempted to keep a lead; at the same time, Rutgers began moving its bow looking to overtake Yale. Michigan continued to put its blades in the water and kept the Trojans in sixth position. The race ended in a photo finish as Cal made a move and finished first over Virginia.
In the 2V8 event, U-M lined up outside California in the sixth lane. Brown began the race out in front using a high stroke rate to push itself into the lead. Coming off of a clean start there were multiple even crews going into 250 meters. The Wolverines used long strokes as the crews hit the 500-meter mark but began to fall behind as Pennsylvania propelled past Cal to take second place.
All boats in the heat were still connected as each one pushed to gain water on the other. Upon 1000 meters, SMU and Michigan began to fall behind Big Ten Conference rival Ohio State. The Buckeyes began to make a move, pushing past Cal as Pennsylvania also began to lose pace. The Wolverines used their strength to keep up with the Mustangs but eventually lost contact with the crew. Approaching the 1500-meter mark, Ohio State was the fastest moving boat as it pushed past the Golden Bears to take second place. The Maize and Blue fought until the end but finished in sixth position.
The 1V8 Petite Final featured the Wolverines in lane five seated between the SMU Mustangs and a familiar foe in the Ohio State Buckeyes. Upon the start of the race Yale tried to take an early lead on the field with Pennsylvania and Ohio State going with them. At 250 meters, the crews started to lengthen out their strokes, but no crews seem to have dropped their start pace. Through 500 meters, Yale had three-quarters of a lead over Pennsylvania as the Quakers had a deck on Ohio State.
At 750 meters, Yale had open water on the Buckeyes as Pennsylvania remained the only boat to continue being connected to the leader. Michigan pushed its blades in the water and stretched its boat past the Virginia crew in lane one. Ohio State took a foot advantage over the Quakers as they rowed through the third 500 meters. SMU remained in fourth place with a three-seat advantage over Michigan as both crews were pacing each other. The top two boats maintained an open water lead going into the last 250 meters of the race while Ohio State began to put pressure on Yale. Coming into the closing strokes, the Buckeyes took the win away from Yale as U-M propelled its bow ball in front of SMU to take fourth place.
Sunday's results (May 29) signals the conclusion of the 2022 season, with Michigan earning its eighth consecutive top-10 finish.
Results
Team Standings
1. Texas -- 124*
2. Stanford -- 124
3. Princeton -- 118
4. Washington -- 112
5. Yale -- 102
6. California -- 101
7. Brown -- 100
8. Ohio State -- 99
9. Virginia -- 82
10. MICHIGAN – 73
* Team points tiebreaker is placing in the 1V8 race
First Varsity Eight
1. Ohio State -- 6:19.654
2. Yale -- 6:21.134
3. Pennsylvania -- 6:25.350
4. MICHIGAN -- 6:26.210
5. SMU -- 6:27.310
6. Virginia -- 6:34.754
Second Varsity Eight
1. Brown -- 6:29.349
2. Ohio State -- 6:30.503
3. California -- 6:35.779
4. SMU -- 6:36.733
5. Pennsylvania -- 6:36.741
6. MICHIGAN -- 6:42.784
First Varsity Four
1. California -- 7:16.233
2. Virginia -- 7:16.522
3. Rutgers -- 7:18.703
4. Yale -- 7:19.662
5. MICHIGAN -- 7:20.523
6. Southern California -- 7:22.253
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
