Michigan State University Athletics
MSU Women's Rowing 2005-06 Season Preview
3/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
March 21, 2006
The Michigan State rowing team enjoyed a successful 2004-05 season under first-year head coach Matt Weise, garnering the program's first-ever team Big Ten Championship, a sixth-place finish at the South/Central Sprints, and a 10th-place finish at the NCAA Championship regatta. The Spartans also swept the Big Ten postseason honors, capturing Coach of the Year (Weise), Freshman of the Year (Anne Cowan) and Rower of the Year (Erin Robertson).
The Spartans open the 2006 spring racing season with a series of 1000-meter training pieces against the Virginia Cavaliers in an exhibition on Saturday, March 11. The Cavaliers are anything but strangers to the Spartans, having met the MSU rowers in competitive situations over the course of the 2004-05 season; once in Charlottesville, Va. during the regular season, at the South/Central Sprints, and in the NCAA Championship regatta.
MSU will host its only home races on March 25 against the Indiana Hoosiers. The races will take place under the shadows of the MSU Boathouse on the Grand River. The Spartans only saw action against the Hoosiers at the 2005 Big Ten Championship regatta, with the Spartan shells claiming victory in all head-to-head situations.
The Spartans continue racing against Big Ten opponents on April 1 when they travel to Columbus, Ohio to face Ohio State and Michigan. The Spartans enjoy healthy rivalries with both the Buckeyes and the Wolverines, with every regatta involving the three schools offering exciting match-ups. The Buckeyes and Wolverines will be looking for revenge for the 2005 Big Ten upsets the Spartans dealt both teams on their way to the 2005 Big Ten title.
Also appearing at the April 1 regatta will be Duke. The Spartans saw limited action against Duke in 2005 at the South/Central Sprints, with the MSU second varsity eight racing to first place over third-place Duke in the qualifying heat.
The Spartans then travel south to Charlottesville, Va. to meet with the Virginia Cavaliers on April 8 before closing the regular season in Wisconsin against the Badgers and Michigan on April 15. The last time the Spartans met the Badgers in a regular season regatta, three MSU shells went undefeated against Wisconsin. The Green and White first and second varsity eights and the first varsity four were also victorious against their Badger counterparts at the 2005 Big Ten Championships.
The Spartans will then defend their Big Ten title in St. Paul, Minn. on April 29. The Spartans will also strive for bids to the South/Central Sprints held in Knoxville, Tenn. May 15-16, and the NCAA Rowing Championships in West Windsor, N.J. from May 26-28.
