Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State Crew Earns Team Bid To NCAA Championships
5/20/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
May 20, 2003
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State women's crew learned Tuesday afternoon that it had received a team bid to the 2003 NCAA Women's Rowing Championship. This marks the fourth time in Michigan State history that the Spartans have earned a team bid. With a team bid, MSU will send three boats (first varsity eight, second varsity eight and first varsity four) to the championships being held Friday, May 30 - Sunday, June 1 at Eagle Creek Reservoir in Indianapolis, hosted by Indiana University.
"We are glad to have earned the right to compete at the NCAA Championships," said MSU head coach Bebe Bryans. "Making the NCAA Championships has become an expectation for our program. Anything less than that would not be living up to our expectations. We plan with it and train for it with that focus. At the same time, the level of competition across the country has grown at an astonishing rate. We believe the Central Region is one of the deepest in the country and we hope to use that to our benefit at the national championship."
MSU has qualified at least one boat for the national championships in all six years that crew has been a varsity sport at the university. In its inaugural season in 1998, MSU's varsity eight placed ninth. In 1999 and 2000, MSU qualified its entire crew for the championships, placing eighth in the team competition both seasons. The first varsity eight placed a school-best eighth for that boat at the 2000 NCAA Championship, followed by a 10th-place finish for the boat at the 2001 championships. Last season, MSU placed ninth as a team, led by a fourth-place finish from the second varsity eight, marking the highest national finish ever for any Spartan boat.
The Spartans made their case for a team bid with strong showings over the past month. At the 2003 Big Ten Championships on May 3, Michigan State tied Michigan in total points, but lost the tiebreaker to place second. Just last weekend at the Lexus Central/Southern Sprints in Tennessee, the Spartans placed fourth. The MSU second varsity eight captured first place in both championships.
"We are looking forward to tapering in practice this week," added Bryans. "We will back off on the volume and increase the intensity. This should make for a well-rested crew heading into the NCAA Championships.
"Our team goal is to improve on our placing. We would like to break into the top six, and if that happens, who knows what else could happen if a boat gets hot and turns in a couple great days of racing."
Twelve Division I programs received team invitations to Eagle Creek Reservoir. In addition to Michigan State, the field includes Brown, California, Harvard, Michigan, Ohio State, Princeton, Stanford, Virginia, Washington, Washington State and Yale. Boston, Southern California, Tennessee and Texas will enter a boat in the varsity eight competition.
