Crew Ready To Compete At Big Ten Championships
4/29/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
April 29, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State rowing heads to Bloomington, Ind., for the sixth-annual Big Ten Championship Regatta, hosted by Indiana University, on Saturday, April 30. Competition will take place on Lake Lemon throughout the day.
Last season, Michigan State finished fourth, although it entered the final race of the day in first place. In 2003, MSU tied Michigan with 123 team points, but the Wolverines were awarded the team title based on a higher finish in the first varsity eight race. Three individual Spartan boats have won titles in the five-year history of the championships, including one in each of the last three years. In 2002, the first varsity four won MSU's first title, followed by the second varsity eight in 2003 and the second varsity four in 2004.
State prepares to face a number of tough conference opponents, but the Spartans are confident about their ability to come out on top. MSU's first varsity eight earned Big Ten Boat of the Week honors after its last performance, an outstanding showing in which State posted the fastest times of the day against conference foes Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan.
The Spartans' top novice eight also promises to be a force with which to be reckoned, entering this Saturday as the No. 1 seed in that event and coming off an undefeated performance on April 16 when the squad topped Wisconsin and Iowa.
Still, in a conference as strong as the Big Ten, competition is sure to be fierce across the board.
KEEP YOUR EYE ON...
MICHIGAN: Michigan's top varsity eight, ranked No. 3 in the nation, is the top-seeded boat in that event. The Wolverines' second varsity four also claimed a No. 1 seed. And while MSU's top varsity eight posted faster times than Michigan's, the maize and blue boat defeated four top 10 teams en route to an impressive undefeated spring season. Michigan is the defending Big Ten Champion and has won the title four times in the history of the event; 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2004.
OHIO STATE: Ohio State has claimed the No. 1 seed in both the second varsity eight and second novice eight events. Head coach Andy Teitelbaum's squad is out for its second Conference crown, as the Buckeyes won the Big Ten Championships title in 2002.
WISCONSIN: Led by former Spartan head coach Bebe Bryans, Wisconsin's first varsity four claimed the top seed in that race. The Badgers' highest Big Ten Championships finish came last year when they finished in second place.
MINNESOTA: Minnesota earned its second Big Ten Boat of the Week honors of the season after the 19th-ranked Golden Gophers' varsity eight defeated No. 14 UCLA and Southern Methodist in its final competition of the regular season.
IOWA: Iowa closed out the regular season against Michigan State, Michigan and Wisconsin on April 16 without recording a victory. The Hawkeyes' varsity eighth is ranked No. 20 in the nation and looks to improve against conference competition this weekend.
INDIANA: Indiana hosts the Big Ten Championship Regatta on Saturday, April 30. A young team just in its fifth year of existence, Indiana continues to grow. The Cream and Crimson varsity eight has established an 8-5 record thus far, its best showing in program history.
Complete 2005 Big Ten Championships seeds are as follows:
Varsity Eights:1 - Michigan2 - Ohio State3 - Michigan State4 - Wisconsin5 - Minnesota6 - Iowa7 - Indiana
II Varsity Eights:1 - Ohio State2 - Wisconsin3 - Michigan4 - Michigan State5 - Indiana6 - Minnesota7 - Iowa
Varsity Fours:1 - Wisconsin2 - Michigan State3 - Michigan4 - Ohio State5 - Minnesota6 - Indiana7 - Iowa
Novice Eights:1 - Michigan State2 - Minnesota3 - Wisconsin4 - Michigan5 - Ohio State6 - Iowa7 - Indiana
II Novice Eights:1 - Ohio State2 - Minnesota3 - Wisconsin4 - Michigan
II Varsity Fours:1 - Michigan2 - Wisconsin3 - Ohio State4 - Michigan State5 - Minnesota6 - Indiana