Spartans Tie Program-Best Finishes at NCAA Championship Regatta
6/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
June 1, 2008
RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. - Both the varsity eight and varsity four boats tied their best-ever finish at the NCAA Championship regatta on Sunday on Lake Natoma in Rancho Cordova, Calif. The Spartans, who finished sixth in the team points championship, tied their best-ever finish at the NCAA's. Yale won the varsity eight race, while Brown captured the team title for the second straight season and sixth overall. Both MSU's eight and the four were in Sunday's grand finals; the four placed fifth, while the varsity eight took sixth. MSU's second varsity took 10th overall and was fourth in the petite final.
The Spartans had a strong start in the varsity eight grand final, which is the pinncacle of the weekend racing. Lined up in the fifth lane, MSU were third in the field after the settle, chasing Stanford and Yale. The Spartans were just a seat off of the Bulldogs pace, and just two off of Stanford. Brown made its traditional move in the second 500, pushing to the front of the pack. At the midpoint, the Spartans had fallen into sixth place, but not by much - all six boats still had contact as they crossed the 1000-meter mark. MSU tried to move in the final 750, but could not pass Washington, and finished behind the Huskies by a half-length. Yale had an amazing move in the final sprint, and captured the race in the final two strokes in a time of 6:34.05; Stanford was on their heels in 6:34.95. Brown, previously-undefeated Cal, Washington, and the Spartans followed.
 MSU's varsity eight  | |
MSU's V8 entry last finished sixth overall in 2006, its last trip to the NCAA regatta. The varsity eight consists of coxswain Katie Bitz (San Francisco, Calif.),senior stroke Kate Burdick (Ann Arbor, Mich.), sophomore Michelle Mussett (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia), junior Amanda Dunnill (Flushing, Mich.), senior Anne Cowan (London, Ontario), sophomore Emily Regan (Williamsville, Va.), junior Sarah Schmidt (Grosse Ile, Mich.), senior Joanna Brown (Tecumseh, Mich.) and freshman Laura Cowal (Thorold, Ontario).
The varsity four took fifth place, tying its best-ever finish at the NCAA regatta; the Spartans also finished fifth in 2002. Washington jumped to a big lead in the race, holding a full-length lead over Virginia at the settle. MSU held third at that point, a seat off of Brown, who was just one seat off the pace-setting Huskies. The margins shrunk in the second 500, as the Husky lead became just three-quarters of a length. MSU was solidly in third and had contact with the Huskies, but Virginia was pushing in fourth.
Virginia moved through the top three crews to take the lead in the third 500, and held a seat lead on previous leader Washington. Those two crews battled it out over the remaining 500 meters, with Brown trying to maintain its top-three spot. The Spartans and Cal were fighting for fourth over the final sprint, and the Bears edged MSU by less than a second - MSU's time was 7:33.99, while Cal was 7:33.10. Washington took the four gold medal in a time of 7:24.75, followed by Virginia (7:26.09) and Brown (7:29.77).
 Varsity Four | |
The varsity four has senior Allison Duffy (Grosse Ile, Mich.) coxing the boat, stroke Lauren Gamble (So., Commerce Township, Mich.), Ashley Wenneman (Jr., Grosse Ile, Mich.), sophomore Victoria Woodward (Howell, Mich.) and bow Stephanie Bochenek (Fr., Hamilton, Ontario).
The second varsity eight raced in the petite final and took fourth, finishing 10th overall. It was a tight start, as Yale, Wisconsin, and MSU were neck-and-neck at the settle with a slight lead over Washington State. MSU pushed in the second 500, but Yale and Wisconsin moved ahead of the Spartans, leaving the Green and White about three-quarters of a length back. Wisconsin made its move at the 750-meter mark, extending its lead to three-quarters of a length over the Elis. Washington State made a push to move the Cougar shell just a seat off of Yale. MSU saw Radcliffe creeping up from the fifth position, attempting to move past the Green and White for a fourth-place finish. The Spartans and Radcliffe went down to the wire, with MSU edging out the Black and White by a bowball for fourth place - the Spartans were clocked in 6:56.48, Radcliffe in 6:56.50. Wisconsin held on for the win, in a time of 6:50.34, followed by Washington State (6:51.42) and Yale (6:54.14)..
The second varsity is coxed by senior Tamara Yantovsky (Grand Rapids, Mich) and consists of rowers Julie Ward (Sr., Livonia, Mich.), Monique Carter (Fr., Queens Village, NY), Claire Vandlinder (Fr., Grosse Point, Mich.), Megan Kursik (So., Fenton, Mich.), Catie Tyzo (Sr., West Bloomfield, Mich.), Alx Maibusch (So., Hillsdale, Ill.), Nancy Diehl (Jr., St. Clair Shores, Mich.), and Danica Bevan (So., Victoria, British Columbia).
Players Mentioned
