Michigan Places Third At NCAA Rowing Championships

The first varsity eight's third-place finish ties the second-best performance by U-M's top crew.




May 30, 2004

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan women's rowing team led the Big Ten's four-team contingent at the 2004 NCAA Championships Sunday, placing third with 52 points.

Ohio State finished eighth overall with 33 points, while Wisconsin (19) and Michigan State (18) finished 11th and 12th, respectively.

No. 9 Brown captured its fourth NCAA crown with 70 points, followed by No. 7 Yale at 58 and the Wolverines. Michigan's bronze-medal performance by the first varsity eight and a fourth-place finish by the second varsity eight led to the Wolverines' highest team finish since 2001, when the Maize and Blue was second overall.

The first varsity eight's third-place finish ties the second-best performance by U-M's top crew. In 2001 the first varsity eight also finished third at the NCAA Championships.

Ohio State's eighth-place team finish is the Buckeyes' third best in the program history.

The Buckeyes' first varsity eight clinched a fifth-place national finish, while the first varsity four and second varsity eight garnered sixth and 12th, respectively.

Making only their second appearance in the Grand Finals of the NCAA championships, OSU's first varsity eight finished fifth. The Buckeyes clinched their second best national finish in program history. OSU finished fourth in 2002.

This season marked Ohio State's fifth consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championships. The Buckeyes' highest finish was in 2001 when they placed fourth overall. Ohio State finished fifth in 2003 and 2002 and ninth in 2000.

Both Michigan State's varsity four and second varsity eight qualified for petite finals and finished second and fifth in their respective races on Sunday. The Green and White varsity eight concluded competition on Saturday with a first-place finish in the "C" final that was good for 13th overall.

Michigan State's varsity four posted a solid performance in its petite final, maintaining a split between 1:49.02 and 1:55.78 throughout the race. The Spartans crossed the finish line in 7:34.20 to take second place (eighth overall), just two seconds behind Wisconsin's 7:32.50. Michigan (7:37.70) came in third, followed by Princeton (7:39.50), Washington State (7:41.10) and Harvard (7:46.40).

 

 

The Badgers ended their first NCAA tournament in five years on Sunday with solid results in the varsity four and second varsity eight petite finals. In the prior two days, Wisconsin got off the line slowly in nearly every race, but today, quick starts led to strong finishes for the UW.

In the varsity four, Wisconsin grabbed the lead by 500 meters and never looked back, claiming first in the petite final and seventh, overall. The Badgers posted a 7:32.50 to take the 2000-meter race.

The UW came close to repeating the performance in the second varsity eight, grabbing a 2.5 second lead by 500 meters and a three-second lead by the midway point. Virginia successfully closed the gap over the second half of the race and claimed the petite final in 6:48.80. Wisconsin still finished second, clocking 6:51.00 for eighth overall. 

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
  1. Brown               70
  2. Yale                58
  3. Michigan            52
  4. California          51
  5. Washington          43
  6. Princeton*          36
  7. Virginia            36
  8. Ohio State          33
  9. Washington State    28
 10. Harvard             24
 11. Wisconsin           19
 12. Michigan State      18


* won tiebreaker based on first varsity eight finish


Results: Sunday, May 30


First Varsity Eight


Grand Final
 1. Brown                6:32.9 -- 36 points
 2. Yale                 6:43.6 -- 33 points
 3. Michigan             6:37.1 -- 30 points
 4. Princeton            6:37.7 -- 27 points
 5. Ohio State           6:38.9 -- 24 points
 6. California           6:40.1 -- 21 points


Petite Final
 1. Washington           6:37.8 -- 18 points
 2. Harvard              6:38.4 -- 15 points
 3. Virginia             6:38.6 -- 12 points
 4. Tennessee            6:41.1
 5. Notre Dame           6:44.0
 6. Southern California  6:44.1


C Final (Saturday)
 1. Michigan State       6:47.0 -- 9 points
 2. Washington State     6:50.5 -- 6 points
 3. Texas                6:51.2
 4. Wisconsin            6:52.8 -- 3 points


Second Varsity Eight


Grand Final
 1. Brown                6:44.1 -- 24 points
 2. California           6:46.8 -- 22 points
 3. Washington State     6:47.0 -- 20 points
 4. Michigan             6:47.2 -- 18 points
 5. Yale                 6:50.4 -- 16 points
 6. Washington           6:50.41-- 14 points


Petite Final
 1. Virginia             6:48.8 -- 12 points
 2. Wisconsin            6:51.0 -- 10 points
 3. Harvard              6:53.7 -- 8 points
 4. Princeton            6:54.0 -- 6 points
 5. Michigan State       6:54.4 -- 4 points
 6. Ohio State           6:55.1 -- 2 points


First Varsity Four


Grand Final
 1. Virginia             7:27.5 -- 12 points
 2. Washington           7:30.8 -- 11 points
 3. Brown                7:32.2 -- 10 points
 4. Yale                 7:34.4 -- 9 points
 5. California           7:39.3 -- 8 points
 6. Ohio State           7:39.9 -- 7 points


Petite Final
 1. Wisconsin            7:32.5 -- 6 points
 2. Michigan State       7:34.2 -- 5 points
 3. Michigan             7:37.7 -- 4 points
 4. Princeton            7:32.5 -- 3 points
 5. Washington State     7:41.1 -- 2 points
 6. Harvard              7:46.4 -- 1 point