Michigan State Rowing Team Earns NCAA Championships Bid
5/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
May 17, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State women's rowing program earned its sixth-ever and fourth-consecutive team bid to the 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Rowing Championships, the NCAA selection committee announced Tuesday afternoon. Championships races will take place in Sacramento, Calif., from Friday, May 27-Sunday, May 29. With a team bid, MSU will send three boats (first varsity eight, second varsity eight and first varsity four) to the championships.
"When the announcement was made there was a quick cheer, then an even quicker focus," first-year head coach Matt Weise said. "They're all excited to go, but they know it's going to be a lot of work."
Michigan State is one of 12 schools to receive a team bid to the championships. The Spartans are joined by Big Ten opponents Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin in addition to crews from Brown, California, Harvard, Princeton, Southern California, Virginia, Washington and Yale. Four schools, Stanford, Syracuse, Tennessee and UCLA, will send their first varsity eight shells to compete. The selection of teams and individual boats was based on eligibility and availability of student-athletes; regional championship results; regional rankings; late-season performance; head-to-head results; results against teams/boats already selected; results against common opponents; and results against regionally ranked teams/boats. One team from each of the five regions was selected and the remaining seven teams were selected at-large.
"It's great for the crew program that we made the NCAA Championships as a team," Weise said. "It's great to come in as a freshman and know you can make the NCAA Championships. Experience is really important at this level. It's also fun for the team because they all get along well, and it's nice to travel together as a team as opposed to one boat."
The Green and White has established a presence at the national championships over the years, as MSU has qualified at least one boat for the event in all eight years since the program's inception as a varsity sport at State. Most recently, Michigan State placed 12th in 2004, with the first varsity eight finishing 13th, the second varsity eight placing 11th and the varsity four finishing eighth. 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 Championships, followed by a 10th-place finish for the boat at the 2001 championships. In 2002, 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 placed 11th as a team in 2003.
"The teams have to be ready to perform in more than one race because they can race as many as four times next weekend," Weise said. "They physically have to be ready and I think they are ready. Mentally, this past weekend was good for us, because it got us a little hungry again. The first varsity eight wants redemption from last weekend."
This year, Michigan State won its first-ever Big Ten Championship, capturing individual titles in the first varsity eight and first varsity four races, placing second in the second varsity eight race. At the South/Central Regional Sprints last weekend, the Spartans placed sixth overall, fourth in the central region. MSU placed second in the varsity four, third in the second varsity eight and sixth in the first varsity eight.