Michigan State University Athletics
No. 9 Rowers Prep for South/Central Sprints
5/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
May 13, 2010
This Week...
The Spartans will head to the South/Central Sprints, hosted by the University of Tennessee on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The Spartans finished second in the Central Region at last year's event with 332 points, a mere 16 points behind first-place Michigan. MSU enters the Sprints as the nation's No. 9 team making them the highest-ranked team in the Central Region.
Last Time Out (Big Ten Championship)...
The Michigan State rowing team fell just short in its bid to become the first school in Big Ten history to win three consecutive Big Ten team titles. The Wisconsin Badgers captured the team title, while Spartans finished second by a margin of only 16 points.
The Spartans saw all of their boats advance to the Grand Finals of their respective races and five of their boats take home medals. Leading the way for the Green and White was the varsity eight which won the gold for an unprecedented third consecutive season. The varsity four and second varsity four each took home silver while the novice eight and second novice eight each took bronze.
Regan Honored by Big Ten...
Emily Regan (Williamsville, N.Y./Nichols School) was recently named the Big Ten Athlete of the Year. This marks the third consecutive season that Michigan State has had the Conference's Athlete of the Year.
Regan, a three-year member of the varsity eight, has rowed for MSU's Big Ten champion V8 in all nine of their races sitting in the five seat. At the Big Ten Championships, Regan claimed her third straight gold medal with the varsity eight as the Spartans won the Grand Final by a margin of open water. Overall on the season, the V8 is 5-2 overall with its only losses coming to top-10 crews.
This marks the third consecutive season and fifth time overall that a Spartan rower has taken home Athlete of the Year honors. Regan joins Krista Buzzell (2002), Erin Robertson (2005), Anne Cowan (2008) and Sarah Schmidt (2009) as Spartans who have taken home the honor. Regan also took home All-Big Ten First Team honors.
Three is a Magic Number...
For a third consecutive season the Spartan varsity eight took home gold at the Big Ten Championships marking the first time in Big Ten history that any school has won three straight V8 golds. In addition to being the first school to claim three straight V8 golds, MSU also becomes the first school to have a student-athlete take home Big Ten Athlete of the Year honors for three consecutive season as Emily Regan follows in the footsteps of Anne Cowan (2008) and Sarah Schmidt (2009) in taking home the prestigious Conference honor.
More Awards for the Spartans...
In addition to Regan being named Big Ten Athlete of the Year, several other Spartans were honored by the Big Ten for their efforts. Fellow seniors Michelle Mussett (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia) and Victoria Woodard (Howell, Mich.) joined Regan as First Team All-Big Ten honorees. Juniors Laura Cowal (Thorold, Ontario) and Kellie Lapointe (Grosse Ile, Mich.) were named to the Second Team, and senior Megan Kursik (Fenton, Mich.) was named the Big Ten Sportsmanship Honoree.
Recapping the 2009 Sprints...
The third-ranked Michigan State rowing team earned second place in the Central Region, and third overall with 332 points, at the Aramark South/Central Sprints, hosted by the University of Tennessee on Melton Hill Lake. The Spartans' best finisher at the event was the second varsity eight, which finished second overall after clocking in at 6:13.40, just 0.40 seconds behind first-place Virginia. Virginia finished first overall with 387 points while Michigan won the Central Region with 348 points and placed second.
A look at this year's field...
The South/Central Sprints features one of the most impressive racing fields in the country as eight of the 22 teams are ranked among the top 20 crews in the nation. Virginia (3), Michigan State (9) and Wisconsin (10) are ranked in the top 10; Michigan (13), Ohio State (14) and Clemson (15) are ranked in the top 15; and Tennessee (16) and Notre Dame (18) are in the top 20. The Spartans have met up with eight of the teams in the field so far this season, including each Big Ten school along with Notre Dame and Virginia.
Scouting the Spartans...
The Varsity Eight
Regular Season Dual Record: 5-2
Best South/Central Sprints Finish: 2nd (1999, 2000, 2008)
Big Ten Finish: 1st
The first varsity eight has been one of the fastest boats in the nation heading into the South/Central Sprints. The crew cruised to an open water victory in route to their third consecutive Big Ten Championship gold. During the regular season, the V8 complied an impressive 5-2 dual record with both of its losses coming to top-ten opponents by margins of less than two seconds. The varsity eight also has plenty of South/Central Sprints seasoning, as all nine of its members have previous South/Central Sprints experience. The varsity eight also features Big Ten Athlete of the Year Emily Regan (Williamsville, N.Y.) and four other Spartans who were named All-Big Ten selections. Michelle Mussett (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia) and Victoria Woodard (Howell, Mich.) joined Regan as First Team All-Big Ten honorees while Laura Cowal (Thorold, Ontario) and Kellie Lapointe (Grosse Ile, Mich.) were named to the Second Team.
The Second Varsity Eight
Regular Season Dual Record: 4-3
Best South/Central Sprints Finish: 1st (2003)
Big Ten Finish: 4th
The second varsity eight also returns a plethora of experience as seven of its nine members have prior South/Central Sprints experience. The 2V8 is coming off a fourth place performance at Big Tens. The second varsity eight enters the South/Central Sprints with a 4-3 record. The Spartans three losses have all came against teams ranked in the top-15 and have all been by margins of less than four seconds. Four members of the crew also bring NCAA Championship experience: Monique Carter (Queens Village, N.Y.) raced at the NCAA Championship last season with the varsity eight, coxswain Emilie Gross (Richland, Mich.) coxed the 2V8, Megan Kursik (Fenton, Mich.) was the bow for the 2V8, and Danica Bevan (Victoria, British Columbia) who was the stroke for the varsity four.
The Varsity Four
Regular Season Dual Record: 3-4
Best South/Central Sprints Finish: 1st (2008)
Big Ten Finish: 2nd
The varsity four is coming off one of its best performances of the season - taking silver at the Big Ten Championships. The varsity four entered the Big Ten Championships with a 3-4 dual record. Similar to their V8 and 2V8 counterparts, the varsity four has also only lost to top-10 opponents by margins lesser than a boat length. The V4 features four members with prior South/Central Sprints experience. The only crew member who didn't compete at the Sprints last season was coxswain Alyse Egner.
The Second Varsity Four
Regular Season Dual Record: 7-0
Best South/Central Sprints Finish: 1st (1999, 2008)
Big Ten Finish: 2nd
Like its varsity four counterpart the second varsity four also claimed silver at the Big Ten Championships. The second varsity four was the Spartans only undefeated boat during the regular season. In its victories, the 2V4 has been dominant, winning all but one of its races by margins of open water. All five members of the 2V4 have prior South/Central Sprints experience.
The Novice Eight
Regular Season Dual Record: 4-3
Best South/Central Sprints Finish: 3rd (1998, 1999, 2000, 2006)
Big Ten Finish: 3rd
The N8 has a 4-3 record in duals but enters the South/Central Sprints on a hot streak, earning a bronze at Big Tens and posting victories over Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Michigan in its last two regular season races.
Familiar Faces...
For the 2010 season, MSU returned 13 rowers and two coxswains that helped the Green and White finish sixth at the 2009 NCAA National Championship Regatta.
Big Life, Big Stage, Big Ten Network...
The 2010 Big Ten Rowing Championship will be televised on the Big Ten Network for the third consecutive season. The Championship will air, tape delayed, on Sunday, May 16th at noon eastern standard time.
Former Spartan and First Team Academic All-American Kate Burdick will serve as the color commentator for the Big Ten Network's coverage for a second consecutive season. Burdick was a Second Team All-Big Ten honoree in 2007 and CRCA Central Region first team selection as well. In addition to Burdick's commentary, Spartan varsity eight coxswain Amanda McGeachie wore a microphone during the Grand Final of that race to give viewers an inside listen.
Melton Hill Lake...
The Oak Ridge Rowing Association (ORRA) has used the Melton Hill Rowing Course to conduct regattas for more than 30 years and it has grown to be renowned as one of the best rowing venues in the United States. The venue, which is fed by the Clinch River, is protected by hills on each side, which limits wind problems. The lake also features a sheltered embayment with multiple docks for easy launching during events. The 2000-meter rowing course provides seven straight lanes that are fully buoyed. The quality of the course is one of the main reasons that the NCAA South/Central Sprints have been held on Melton Hill Lake since the NCAA moved to regional groupings in 1997.
Boats of the Week...
The Michigan State first varsity eight of Michelle Mussett, Shannon Dunn, Laura Cowal, Emily Regan, Michelle Neuder, Kellie Lapointe, Stephanie Bochenek, Victoria Woodard and coxswain Amanda McGeachie claimed Big Ten Boat of the Week honors for the weeks of March 30 and April 13. For the week of March 30, the V8 defeated No. 9 Michigan and Notre Dame by margins of open water to claim the honor. For the week of April 13, the V8 swept a pair of Big Ten opponents at the Big Ten Double Dual at Lake Lemon to claim the award.
The Spartan varsity eight was the only boat in the Big Ten to claim multiple Boat of the Week honors this season.
2009 Honorees...
The Spartans return four athletes who earned spots on the 2009 Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association's (CRCA) All-Central Regional teams. Emily Regan (Williamsville, N.Y.) garnered first team honors while Amanda McGeachie (Sidney, British Columbia), Michelle Mussett (Darthmouth, Nova Scotia) and Laura Cowal (Thorold, Ontario) took home second team honors. In addition to being named a CRAC All-Central Region first team honoree, Regan was named a CRAC second team All-American. Regan, who rowed in the Spartans' first varsity eight crew which claimed the Big Ten title, is the program's sixth Second Team All-American and first since Joanna Brown in 2008. In addition to the successes on the water the Spartans also had success in the classroom as six rowers were named CRCA Scholar Athletes and 22 student-athletes were named to the 2009 Academic All-Big Ten Spring Honor Roll.
A Little More Than a Decade of Excellence...
MSU has qualified for the NCAA National Championship Regatta in 12 of the last 13 seasons. Since elevated to a varsity sport in 1998, the Spartans have qualified for the NCAA Championships every season but 2007. MSU has received eight team bids and received at-large berths for their varsity eight boat in 1998 and 2001. MSU finished sixth at last year's championships, which tied the program's best finish (2006,2008).
Coach Weise...
Matt Weise is in sixth season as the head coach for the women's rowing program, after spending seven years as an assistant. Weise continually develops the nationally-recognized program, leading the team to its highest finish at the NCAA Championship and back-to-back Big Ten titles (2008, 2009). Over his five seasons as the head coach of the Green and White, Weise has led the Spartans to four NCAA appearances, three Big Ten championships and one Central Region title. Weise, a three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, has also coached eight All-Americans, four Big Ten Athletes of the Year, two Big Ten Freshmen of the Year and 12 academic All-Americans.
Canadian Connection...
Michigan State assistant coach Christiina Tymoszewicz-Donley, now in her sixth season, is leaving her mark on Spartan recruiting. As a St. Catherines, Ontario Native, Tymoszewicz-Donley has scoured her home land, bringing in recruits who have directly impacted the success of the Spartans. In the Spartans' varsity eight, three of the nine members - Laura Cowal (Thorold, Ontario), Michelle Mussett (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia) and coxswain Amanda McGeachie (Sidney, British Columbia) - hail from Canada. In all, eight MSU rowers call Canadian cities home.
