Buckeyes Make Eighth-Consecutive Appearance at NCAA Championships – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
May 24, 2007
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State rowing team, including the fifth-ranked first varsity eight crew, travels to Oak Ridge, Tenn., for its eighth-consecutive NCAA championships appearance. The 2007 national championships are hosted by the University of Tennessee on Melton Hill Lake May 25-27.
About the NCAA Championships
The NCAA championships are comprised of three races: first and second varsity eight and first varsity four. Twelve teams were named to the field May 15 with four first varsity eight boats receiving at-large bids.
Along with Ohio State, the teams selected include Brown, California, Harvard, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Princeton, Southern California, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and Yale. Dartmouth, Stanford, UCF and UCLA received the 1V8 at-large bids.
Schedule of Events
The NCAA championships begin Friday morning with heats for all three boats. The first varsity eight repechage will take place Friday afternoon.
Semifinal races for the first varsity eight as well as repechages for the second varsity eight and first varsity four will be held Saturday morning. Both the Petite Finals and Grand Finals for all three events will be Sunday.
Broadcast Information
Results from the NCAA championships will be posted live by CSTV. The link is available at both CSTV.com and Ohio State rowing schedule on ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
Elite Company
Of the 86 Division I rowing teams, only 12 are selected to compete in the NCAA championships. Ohio State is making its eighth appearance, all since 2000, in the NCAA championships. Including 2007, Ohio State is one of just five Division I teams in the country to race as a team in the last eight NCAA championships in a row. Brown, California, Princeton and Washington join the Buckeyes in that distinction.
The Buckeyes are tied with Michigan at eight for the most NCAA team appearances by a Big Ten team and only six teams in the nation have made more NCAAs than Ohio State. Brown, Princeton and Washington have made it to all 11 national championships while Virginia has raced in 10 and California and Harvard have been in nine.
More Success at Melton Hill Lake?
The Buckeyes have had previous success at Melton Hill Lake, site of the 2007 NCAA Championships. Ohio State has won five Central Region championships in a row there, including the 2007 one earlier this month (May 12-13) at the Aramark Central/South Region Sprints.
In the regionals, the OSU first varsity eight has won three Grand Finals (2002, `04 and `05), the second varsity eight has won one (2006) and the first varsity four has won one (2003).
Buckeyes at the NCAA Championships
Ohio State has appeared in eight NCAA championships as a team, all since 2000. The OSU first varsity four also raced in 1997. The highest the Buckeyes have finished as a team is fourth in 2001 and 2005, although the team set a record for points with 52 in 2006 but finished fifth.
Last year also was the first time all three OSU boats raced in the Grand Finals. The first varsity four took third in its race for the highest a single Buckeye boat has ever placed. Fourth is the highest both the first and second varsity eights have finished
Ohio State Wins Fifth Central Regional Championship in a Row
Ohio State won its fifth-consecutive Central Region championship May 13 at the 2007 Aramark Central/South Region Sprints on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The Buckeyes finished atop the Central Region standings with a total of 366 points, with fellow Big Ten team Wisconsin taking second with 346 points. Virginia won the South Region title and was first overall with 440 points.
Ohio State topped 12 other teams racing in the Central Region, including Big Ten champion Minnesota and Big East champion Notre Dame. The Buckeyes raced in two Grand Finals and three Petite Finals.
CRCA Honors Ohio State Rowers
Four members of the Ohio State rowing team have been selected to the CRCA All-Central Region teams, the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association announced Tuesday. Three student-athletes, Gabriele Albertaviciute, Annabelle Fago and Jessica Shepherd, were named to the first team and Briony Clare was a second team honoree, with all four rowing in the nationally-ranked first varsity eight boat.
For their achievements in the classroom, a team-record six Buckeyes also were named CRCA National Scholar Athletes: Shepherd, Giulia Benedetti, Andrea Dymalski, Simone Haubner, Justine Mahler and Chelsea Smith.
Buckeyes Take Third at Big Tens
Ohio State finished third at the 2007 Big Ten Championships April 28 in Madison, Wis. The event was held on the 1,810-meter course on Lake Wingra. Ohio State totaled 103 points to edge Michigan State in fourth with 102. The Buckeyes have placed in the Top 3 of the team standings all eight years of the Big Ten championships.
Two Buckeyes Earn All-Big Ten Awards
Two Buckeyes were named to All-Big Ten teams, the conference announced April 28 following the Big Ten championships at Lake Wingra in Madison, Wis. Gabriele Albertaviciute was named to the first team while Jessica Shepherd received second team honors. Both Albertaviciute and Shepherd row in the nationally-ranked first varsity eight boat. Since 2000, Ohio State has garnered 16 First Team and 15 Second Team All-Big Ten honors.
Ohio State in the National Rankings
The Buckeye first varsity eight crew concluded the 2007 season ranked No. 5 in the final CRCA/USRowing poll released May 16. Before dropping to No. 12 for two weeks following the Big Ten championship, Ohio State was ranked No. 3 in the CRCA/USRowing poll for four weeks in a row to conclude the regular season. It was the highest ranking for the Buckeyes since the 2005 season. Ohio State began 2007 as No. 6 and then moved up to fourth in the second poll.
A Look at the OSU First Varsity Eight
The Ohio State first varsity eight has defeated six nationally-ranked opponents this season and rowed to a 7-1 record in the regular season. OSU’s 1V8 defeated former No. 1 Princeton and No. 2 Virginia March 24 and 31, respectively, in the opening two regattas of the season. The Buckeyes also defeated No. 12 Tennessee (April 7), No. 20 Michigan State (April 14) and twice topped Michigan (ranked No. 16 April 7 and No. 11 April 14). The lone loss was to Brown in the opening regatta of the season, who then became the top-ranked team in the nation and is currently No. 4.
OSU’s 1V8 Earns Back-to-Back Boat of he Week Honors
The first varsity eight earned back-to-back Big Ten Boat of the Week honors, March 26 and April 2. The Buckeye crew of Claudia Wurzel, Justine Mahler, Zuzanna Trzcinska, Patricia Goodeman, Gabriele Albertaviciute, Jessica Shepherd, Annabelle Fago, Briony Clare and coxswain Susanne Wilson earned its awards after upsetting then-No. 2 Virginia in the ACC/Big Ten Duals March 31 and then-No. 1 and defending NCAA champ Princeton to open the season March 24.
Spanning the Globe
The OSU rowing roster consists of student-athletes from around the world with 33 members of the team from seven countries, including the United States. Germany has the largest representation from outside the U.S. with six rowers. There also are Buckeyes from Australia, Italy (2), Lithuania, Poland and South Africa. The U.S. Buckeyes represent three different states. There are 23 Ohio natives, with athletes also from Arizona and Pennsylvania.
