Michigan State University
Big Ten Championships
Spartans Place Second At 2003 Big Ten Rowing Championships
5/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
May 3, 2003
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Michigan State women's crew placed second at the 2003 Big Ten Rowing Championships at Griggs Reservoir on the Scioto River in Columbus, Ohio. The Spartans' 123 team points equaled those of first-place Michigan, but the Wolverines were declared the conference champion based on a higher finish by the first varsity eight. It was Michigan State's best team performance since placing second at the inaugural Big Ten Championships in 2000. The top MSU performance of the championships was turned in by the second varsity eight, which captured the second Big Ten championship in MSU rowing history. Michigan State was the only crew with a boat in each afternoon final.
"It was an incredible day; the best day of my coaching career," said MSU head coach Bebe Bryans. "Everyone performed at their highest level. It was the best they had raced all year. I could not be prouder of my team than I am today. It's bittersweet to basically lose by one point, but I couldn't ask for anything more. Everyone gave everything they had today.
"We have improved so much, even in the last few weeks. Today, we took what we learned at the Big Ten Invitational (April 19) and executed. There was not a weak boat on our team, which makes me very proud."
After winning its morning heat, the top-seeded Michigan State second varsity eight rowed a 6:40.6 in the afternoon final to defeat second-place Iowa by more than three seconds. Members of the winning boat include coxswain Stacia Beiniks (So., Charlton, N.Y.), Amy Pennington (Jr., Nashville, Mich.), Erin Robertson (So., Middleville, Mich.), Heather Underwood (Sr., Bay City, Mich.), Kirsten Seif (Sr., Unionville, Mich.), Jasmine Pickler (So., Petosky, Mich.), Kristin Dooley (Fr., Syracuse, N.Y.), Ty Middleton (Sr., Gaylord, Mich.) and Ashley Johnson (Fr., Park Hills, Ky.). This marks the second-straight year that a Spartan boat has won a conference title as the first varsity four won the 2002 championship. Beiniks, Robertson and Underwood were all a part of the varsity four in 2002. The win in the second varsity eight scored 42 team points for MSU.
"They rowed a very mature, very determined race today," said Bryans. "In the morning heat, they were very smart and did what they needed to do to make the finals. In the finals, they went out like warriors and rowed harder and faster than they ever had before. They followed the race plan perfectly. It's a huge turning point for the Michigan State program to have an eight win a conference title."
Coach Bryans sense of accomplishment was echoed by her rowers.
"It was an awesome experience," said Kirsten Seif. "In the morning, we got done what we needed to. In the afternoon, we came together as a team and rowed one of our best races. We put the focus within the boat and concentrated on our performance, rather than worrying about what other boats were doing. As a team, this was our best effort in four years. I think it's a credit to us being united as a team. We work really hard, but we also have fun because we all love to row."
The team championship was decided in the final race of the afternoon. The Spartans entered the first varsity eight final knowing that a first or second-place finish would win a team championship. Entering the final 500 meters of the race, the Spartans were a little off the pace in third place but made a strong charge down the stretch. In the end, however, it was not quite enough as MSU's 6:31.1 finished seven-tenths of a second behind Ohio State's 6:30.4 as the Spartans finished third to score 45 team points. Michigan won the first varsity eight at 6:27.8 and scored 63 points to tie Michigan State with 123 team points overall. On the basis of a better finish in the first varsity eight race, the Wolverines were awarded the conference championship.
One of the other highlights for the Spartans was the second-place finish of the first novice eight. The Spartans recorded a time of 6:54.4 to score 12 team points. The previous best effort by the first novice eight in the Big Ten Championships was a third-place finish in 2001.
In addition, Michigan State's first varsity four and second novice eight both finished third in their respective finals. In the varsity four race, MSU recorded a 7:29.3 to score 15 points. The second novice eight finished in 6:56.5, scoring five team points. The Spartans' second varsity four posted a 7:37.7 to place fourth and score four team points.
Three members of MSU's first varsity eight earned All-Big Ten honors. Senior Rachel Miller (Meeteetse, Wy.) earned first-team all-conference honors for the first time in her career, after earning second-team All-Big Ten accolades in 2001 and 2002. Juniors Kate Gay (Cowra, New South Wales, Australia) and Stacey Hicks (Bryan, Ohio) found a spot on the second team. Gay was also a second-team honoree in 2002.
Michigan State will return to action on May 17-18 at the Central Region Championships in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Final Team Standings1. Michigan 123*2. Michigan State 1233. Ohio State 1074. Iowa 995. Wisconsin 696. Minnesota 617. Indiana 30* Michigan wins tie-breaker with higher finish in first varsity eight final
Final Results - Afternoon FinalsFirst Varsity Eight1. Michigan 6:27.82. Ohio State 6:30.43. Michigan State 6:31.14. Iowa 6:35.7
Second Varsity Eight1. Michigan State 6:40.62. Iowa 6:43.93. Michigan 6:47.04. Ohio State 6:48.8
First Varsity Four1. Michigan 7:23.52. Iowa 7:25.33. Michigan State 7:29.34. Ohio State 7:36.2
Second Varsity Four1. Iowa 7:32.92. Wisconsin 7:35.13. Ohio State 7:35.64. Michigan State 7:37.75. Michigan 7:41.7
First Novice Eight1. Wisconsin 6:49.72. Michigan State 6:54.43. Minnesota 6:55.04. Indiana 7:08.8
Second Novice Eight1. Wisconsin 6:44.72. Ohio State 6:51.53. Michigan State 6:56.04. Indiana 6:56.5
Final Results - Morning Heats (MSU Heats Only)First Varsity Eight - Heat 21. Ohio State 6:31.32. Michigan State 6:34.03. Wisconsin 6:38.04. Indiana 6:54.4
Second Varsity Eight - Heat 11. Michigan State 6:55.02. Iowa 6:55.83. Wisconsin 6:56.9
First Varsity Four - Heat 11. Michigan 7:19.12. Michigan State 7:22.03. Wisconsin 7:28.1
Second Varsity Four - Heat 11. Ohio State 7:32.42. Wisconsin 7:34.83. Iowa 7:36.74. Michigan State 7:46.05. Michigan 8:07.5
First Novice Eight - Heat 11. Michigan State 6:51.92. Minnesota 6:54.13. Michigan 7:02.3
Second Novice Eight - Heat 21. Wisconsin 7:01.12. Michigan State 7:10.33. Michigan 7:15.5
Players Mentioned
