Wolverines Compete Well as Big Ten Invite Wraps

Saturday, April 8

Sarasota, Fla.

8:30 AM

Michigan

Big Ten Invitational

(Michigan Photography)

4/8/2023 12:14:00 PM | Rowing

Photo Gallery

By: Chad Shepard

Site: Nathan Benderson Park (Sarasota, Fla.)
Event: Big Ten Invitational (Day 2 of 2)
First Varsity Eight Finish: 6:14.527 (3rd of 4)
Next U-M Event: April 15 -- vs. Texas (Austin, Texas), TBA

• Photo Gallery

Sarasota, Fla. -- The No. 13-ranked University of Michigan rowing program wrapped up the Big Ten Invitational with an excellent showing on Saturday (April 8). The Wolverines took advantage of the ideal regatta conditions at Nathan Benderson Park, competing in tight races against some of the nation's fastest boats while posting season-best times.

Temperatures were in the mid-70s as the races began, with light cloud cover and strong sun. Rowing primarily against No. 2 Stanford, No. 6 Brown, and No. 11 Ohio State, U-M looked fast and stayed competitive, especially in the varsity eight events.

The 2V8 boat began the day and had a strong start. U-M kept pace with the winning boat from the Cardinal, finishing 2.203 seconds behind in a close race. The Wolverines also had to hold off the charging Buckeyes in the second half of the race, and did so successfully, coming in more than two seconds ahead of their Big Ten rival.

The 1V8 boat rowed a fast race as well. Stanford (6:09.274) led wire-to-wire but U-M showed strength by holding on to the Cardinal during the middle stages and never losing contact. Brown drove into U-M's second-place positioning in the middle 500, crossing 1.91 seconds ahead of the Wolverines. U-M finished 5.363 seconds off the lead with a time of 6:14.527.

That 1V8 heat was a great indication of the speed in the field at this early part of the season and the value of racing such competitive programs in April. U-M's first eight posted a time of 6:10.33 at the same course on the final day of the 2022 NCAA Championships.

In the fours races, U-M raced hard but was not as successful in its placing. In the 2V4 race, U-M was unable to hang on to Brown and Ohio State through the middle third of the race, finishing third in 7:26.118. The 1V4 finished fourth in its heat, and the 3V4 finished third.

The 2N8 boat was runner-up to Ohio State, +11.495 seconds behind the Buckeyes, and the 1N8 boat closed the weekend in second place in a closely-contested event. Stanford won the race and U-M successfully held off the Buckeyes for second place, +5.572 seconds off the lead.

U-M is on the road again next Saturday (April 15) to race head-to-head with the University of Texas at U-T's Lady Bird Lake. The event represents the back end of a home-and-home arrangement as the Wolverines hosted the Longhorns on Lake Belleville in spring of 2022.

Results

First Varsity Eight
1. Stanford -- 6:09.274
2. Brown -- 6:12.637
3. MICHIGAN -- 6:14.527
4. Ohio State -- 6:21.541

Second Varsity Eight
1. Stanford -- 6:21.584
2. MICHIGAN -- 6:23.787
3. Ohio State -- 6:25.817
4. Brown -- 6:28.206

First Varsity Four
1. Brown -- 6:54.754
2. Stanford -- 6:56.451
3. Ohio State -- 7:10.479
4. MICHIGAN -- 7:14.583

Second Varsity Four
1. Brown -- 7:05.866
2. Ohio State -- 7:11.095
3. MICHIGAN -- 7:26.118

Third Varsity Four
1. Rutgers -- 7:16.913
2. Ohio State --7:21.726
3. MICHIGAN -- 7:38.313
4. Indiana -- 7:46.711

First Novice Eight
1. Stanford -- 6:28.849
2. MICHIGAN -- 6:34.421
3. Ohio State -- 6:45.058

Second Novice Eight
1. Ohio State -- 6:56.078
2. MICHIGAN -- 7:07.573
3. Indiana -- 7:14.847
4. Rutgers -- 7:40.935

Michigan Lineup

1V8: Ainslie Evans (cox), Sarah McKay, Katie Easton, Abigail Dent, Gabrielle Graves, Zara Collisson, Abby Hathaway, Ariana Shokoohi, Annaka Draaisma