Michigan State University
Michigan
Spartan Rowing Dominates Michigan
4/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
April 17, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. - With the unstoppable success that Michigan State has enjoyed this spring, it was not surprising to see the No. 10 Spartans upset No. 8 Michigan on Saturday, April 17. MSU won five of the seven total races, including an impressive victory in the A-Flight varsity eight race, to defeat Michigan 17-6.
"It was a fantastic day for us," said MSU head coach Bebe Bryans. "Everyone on the team put forth her best effort and that was our goal."
MSU hosted U of M for the dual meet, the Spartans' only home meet of the spring racing season, on a 2000-meter racecourse on Lake Ovid at Sleepy Hollow State Park, about 30 minutes north of the MSU campus.
"We wanted to have a strong team performance because this was our last race before Big Tens and we were counting points for the Pontiac Challenge Cup," said Bryans. "We wanted to have everybody strong across the board and we got that today."
The Spartans and Wolverines contended for the lead of the Pontiac Cup Challenge, a program initiated by the collaborative efforts of Pontiac and Fox Sports Detroit in Sept. 2003, to elevate public interest in the Michigan State-Michigan rivalry and to benefit both schools' athletic programs.
A cup winner is announced at the close of each fall, winter and spring season, based on the outcome of MSU-U of M competition in the 23 varsity sports that the schools have in common.
Competition began with the C-Flight varsity four race, in which Michigan's 8:01.50 was good for first place, as MSU crossed the finish line, just over a boat length later, in 8:10.82.
The Spartan second novice eight (7:26.00) extended its winning streak to three-consecutive top finishes in defeating Michigan (7:42.39) for the second time this season. State maintained a lower strokes-per-minute rate than Michigan for much of the race, yet managed to lead by open water throughout the greater part of its duration. MSU earned one point toward the Pontiac Cup Challenge for the win.
State's first novice eight also led by open water throughout the majority of its race and earned the Spartans three points with a victory over the Wolverines. MSU finished in 7:06.90, while U of M posted a time of 7:29.94. The win, which was good for three points, elevated the Spartan lead to 4-0.
MSU and U of M remained almost even for the first 500 meters of what was an extremely close second varsity four race, as both crews maintained a stroke rate around 32 spm throughout the body of the race. As both boats approached the 1500-meter mark, the Spartans managed to pull ahead by three quarters of boat length and MSU held onto the lead throughout the remainder of the race, even as U of M upped its stroke rate in the sprint, to capture the win. The Spartans time of 7:51.31 was good for one additional point over the Wolverines' 7:58.31.
State's first varsity four earned the fifth Spartan victory of the day in another close race. MSU posted a 7:42.00 finish, while the Wolverines had a time of 7:45.59. The win increased the Spartan lead to an impressive 8-0 over scoreless U of M.
Heightened excitement accompanied the closeness of the last two races of the day and the second and first novice eight races were worth six and nine points, respectively.
In the second varsity eight race, Michigan rallied from an early defecit to defeat State. Despite the Spartan effort to regain the lead in the last 500-meter sprint, Michigan defeated MSU by just over one second. U of M posted 6:53.85, while MSU crossed the finish line in 6:52.80. The Wolverine victory earned Michigan its only six points of the day.
MSU entered the final race of the day with an 8-6 lead and State's first varsity eight established a lead over U of M throughout the race, earning an open water victory with a solid sprint to end the race. The Spartan finish was good for nine points, which gave MSU a 17-6 win for the day.
"Our race went really well because we came out and did exactly what we wanted to do," said standout senior Stacey Hicks of the first varsity eight's showing. "We had some very specific goals in mind, as a boat and as individuals, and all nine of us were able to accomplish what we wanted to."
The Spartans were also awarded one point toward the Pontiac Cup Challenge, giving MSU a 1.5-1.0 lead over the Wolverines for the spring season cup.
Next, Michigan State will face conference opponents at the Big Ten Championship Regatta in Iowa City, Iowa on Saturday, May 1 and despite the immense Spartan victory over Michigan, MSU continues to prepare for that competition.
"Our goal was to be great, not perfect and that is really how it went," said senior Jill Drexler, who rows in the first varsity eight. "We know where we need to improve and now we just need to get faster."
Still, MSU is confident in its abilities, particularly Coach Bryans. When asked what her outlook was for the Big Ten Championship Regatta, Bryans smiled and answered without hesitation.
"Bring it on," said Bryans. "We can't control what anybody else does. We can only control what we do and everybody on this team complete understands that. We are ready. We know that they will bring it and so will we."
COMPLETE RESULTS
Third Varsity Four:
1. Michigan (8:01.50)
2. Michigan State (8:10.82)
Second Novice Eight:
1. Michigan State (7:26.00)
2. Michigan (7:42.39)
First Novice Eight:
1. Michigan State (7:06.90)
2. Michigan (7:29.94)
Second Varsity Four:
1. Michigan State (7:51.31)
2. Michigan (7:58.31)
First Varsity Four:
1. Michigan State (7:42.00)
2. Michigan (7:45.59)
Second Varsity Eight:
1. Michigan (6:52.80)
2. Michigan State (6:53.85)
First Varsity Eight:
1. Michigan State (6:42.10)
2. Michigan (6:47.67)
Team points were awarded to the winning boat of each race as follows:
Second Novice Eight: One point
First Novice Eight: Three points
Second Varsity Four: One point
First Varsity Four: Three points
Second Varsity Eight: Six points
First Varsity Eight: Nine points
