Friday, April 26
Raleigh, N.C.
Michigan State University
at
Lake Wheeler Invitational
Rowing Turns in Season-Bests at Lake Wheeler Invite
4/27/2019 5:55:00 PM | Women's Rowing
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Racing at the inaugural Lake Wheeler Invitational in Raleigh, North Carolina this weekend, Michigan State rowing finished in fourth place with 66 total points despite traveling just three boats to the event. Inclement Friday weather condensed the two-day regatta down to one as the crews raced in early morning heats on Saturday, April 27 to determine groupings and lane assignments for the finals.
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Also in attendance at Lake Wheeler were co-hosts Duke and North Carolina, Miami, Temple, Georgetown, Navy, Clemson, and Central Florida. Duke was the overall champion with 99 total points, followed by Navy with 71, North Carolina with 70, Michigan State with 66, and Clemson with 59 to round out the top five finishers.
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All three boats in attendance (varsity eight, second varsity eight, varsity four) turned in season-best times in the finals, marking a positive developmental step heading into a May 5 meeting with No. 5-ranked Michigan and Louisville in Belleville, Michigan.
"The crews keep getting faster," said Michigan State head coach Matt Weise. "All of the boats had their best race of the season and that's all that I can ask for at this point. I think the crews are really motivated after this weekend to keep going and keep pushing. They're really making some great strides."
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In the morning, Michigan State's varsity eight placed first in its heat with a time of 6:36.536 to defeat Georgetown and Temple. Racing in the top finals grouping alongside No. 17-ranked Duke and Navy, the Spartans finished with a season-best time of 6:29.168 to defeat Duke and finish less than three second behind Navy. Overall, the Spartans finished in second place of nine total crews.
Michigan State trailed both Navy and Duke heading into the final 500 of the varsity eight top flight finals, but a strong push at the end led to the Spartans catching Duke and nearly pulling in front of Navy. The Spartans finished ahead of Duke (6:31.508) by just over two seconds.
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MSU's second varsity eight also won their morning heat, defeating Navy by more than eight seconds and Georgetown by 36 seconds to advance to the top finals grouping. In the finals, Michigan State once again turned in a season-best time, finishing behind Duke by just over two seconds with a time of 6:28.557. The 2v8 joined the v8 in finishing second among the entire field.
"Besides a couple of small breaks, the 2v8 put a really good race together," said Weise. "They keep getting better every week and the amount of time they've spent rowing out of rhythm keeps shrinking, so that boat has really been on the move lately."
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The varsity four was the only Michigan State boat that didn't place first in its heat with a time of 7:29.544, finishing 11 seconds behind Central Florida. In the finals, the fours finished with a time of 7:32.752, the third season-best time of the day achieved by the Spartans. Michigan State's varsity four crew finished in fifth behind Duke, Central Florida, North Carolina, and Temple.
"The varsity four made progress this weekend and showed great poise," said Michigan State assistant coach Sam Sarff. "They executed a solid race plan and showed a lot of consistency. We know exactly where we can get faster and that's what we'll do in the three weeks leading up to Big Ten's."
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Results
Final Morning Results (Heats)
Varsity Eight: 1. Michigan State 6:36.536; 2. Georgetown 6:42.558; 3. Temple 6:45.071
Second Varsity Eight: 1. Michigan State 6:40.750; 2. Navy 6:48.810; 3. Georgetown 7:16.312
Varsity Four: 1. Central Florida 7:18.461; 2. Michigan State 7:29.544; 3. Clemson 7:34.411
Final Afternoon Results (Finals)
Varsity Eight: 1. Navy 6.26.570, 2. Michigan State 6:29.168, 3. Duke 6:31.508
Second Varsity Eight: 1. Duke 6:26.358, 2. Michigan State 6:28.557, 3. Central Florida 6:42.035
Varsity Four (Group Two): 1. Temple 7:31.330; 2. Michigan State 7:32.752; 3. Navy 7:50.516
Lineups
Varsity Eight: Cox – Jennifer Gmeiner; Stroke – Meaghan Faucher; 7 – Annie Cantu; 6 – Sarah Carless; 5 – Mary Martha Kennedy; 4 – Katherine Willis; 3 – Halle Nielsen; 2 – Cameron Novar; Bow – Madelyn Bagley
Second Varsity Eight: Cox – Emma Gassman; Stroke – Kari Bushey; 7 – Cassie Kingma; 6 – Rachel Hayes; 5 – Teresa Menzel; 4 – Clare Sutka; 3 – Emily Mall; 2 – Cameron Daniels; Bow –Johanna Uckele
Varsity Four: Cox – Hannah Worth; Stroke – Hannah Hentgen; 3 - Emilee Koenig; 2 - Madison Sturm; Bow - Becca Harmon
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Also in attendance at Lake Wheeler were co-hosts Duke and North Carolina, Miami, Temple, Georgetown, Navy, Clemson, and Central Florida. Duke was the overall champion with 99 total points, followed by Navy with 71, North Carolina with 70, Michigan State with 66, and Clemson with 59 to round out the top five finishers.
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All three boats in attendance (varsity eight, second varsity eight, varsity four) turned in season-best times in the finals, marking a positive developmental step heading into a May 5 meeting with No. 5-ranked Michigan and Louisville in Belleville, Michigan.
"The crews keep getting faster," said Michigan State head coach Matt Weise. "All of the boats had their best race of the season and that's all that I can ask for at this point. I think the crews are really motivated after this weekend to keep going and keep pushing. They're really making some great strides."
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In the morning, Michigan State's varsity eight placed first in its heat with a time of 6:36.536 to defeat Georgetown and Temple. Racing in the top finals grouping alongside No. 17-ranked Duke and Navy, the Spartans finished with a season-best time of 6:29.168 to defeat Duke and finish less than three second behind Navy. Overall, the Spartans finished in second place of nine total crews.
Michigan State trailed both Navy and Duke heading into the final 500 of the varsity eight top flight finals, but a strong push at the end led to the Spartans catching Duke and nearly pulling in front of Navy. The Spartans finished ahead of Duke (6:31.508) by just over two seconds.
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MSU's second varsity eight also won their morning heat, defeating Navy by more than eight seconds and Georgetown by 36 seconds to advance to the top finals grouping. In the finals, Michigan State once again turned in a season-best time, finishing behind Duke by just over two seconds with a time of 6:28.557. The 2v8 joined the v8 in finishing second among the entire field.
"Besides a couple of small breaks, the 2v8 put a really good race together," said Weise. "They keep getting better every week and the amount of time they've spent rowing out of rhythm keeps shrinking, so that boat has really been on the move lately."
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The varsity four was the only Michigan State boat that didn't place first in its heat with a time of 7:29.544, finishing 11 seconds behind Central Florida. In the finals, the fours finished with a time of 7:32.752, the third season-best time of the day achieved by the Spartans. Michigan State's varsity four crew finished in fifth behind Duke, Central Florida, North Carolina, and Temple.
"The varsity four made progress this weekend and showed great poise," said Michigan State assistant coach Sam Sarff. "They executed a solid race plan and showed a lot of consistency. We know exactly where we can get faster and that's what we'll do in the three weeks leading up to Big Ten's."
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Results
Final Morning Results (Heats)
Varsity Eight: 1. Michigan State 6:36.536; 2. Georgetown 6:42.558; 3. Temple 6:45.071
Second Varsity Eight: 1. Michigan State 6:40.750; 2. Navy 6:48.810; 3. Georgetown 7:16.312
Varsity Four: 1. Central Florida 7:18.461; 2. Michigan State 7:29.544; 3. Clemson 7:34.411
Final Afternoon Results (Finals)
Varsity Eight: 1. Navy 6.26.570, 2. Michigan State 6:29.168, 3. Duke 6:31.508
Second Varsity Eight: 1. Duke 6:26.358, 2. Michigan State 6:28.557, 3. Central Florida 6:42.035
Varsity Four (Group Two): 1. Temple 7:31.330; 2. Michigan State 7:32.752; 3. Navy 7:50.516
Lineups
Varsity Eight: Cox – Jennifer Gmeiner; Stroke – Meaghan Faucher; 7 – Annie Cantu; 6 – Sarah Carless; 5 – Mary Martha Kennedy; 4 – Katherine Willis; 3 – Halle Nielsen; 2 – Cameron Novar; Bow – Madelyn Bagley
Second Varsity Eight: Cox – Emma Gassman; Stroke – Kari Bushey; 7 – Cassie Kingma; 6 – Rachel Hayes; 5 – Teresa Menzel; 4 – Clare Sutka; 3 – Emily Mall; 2 – Cameron Daniels; Bow –Johanna Uckele
Varsity Four: Cox – Hannah Worth; Stroke – Hannah Hentgen; 3 - Emilee Koenig; 2 - Madison Sturm; Bow - Becca Harmon
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
/ Women's Rowing
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