No. 3 Rowing Prepares for Central Regionals – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/14/2002 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
May 14, 2002
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ABOUT THE REGIONAL REGATTA
The No. 3 Ohio State women’s rowing team will look to add another championship to its already successful season as it competes in the central regional finals Saturday and Sunday in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The University of Tennessee will serve as host for the event, which also will play host to the southern regional finals this weekend as well.
The Buckeyes will look to feed off the momentum started May 4 in East Lansing, Mich., where the team won the program’s first Big Ten championship. All six Ohio State boats will be in action, contributing to the point standings to determine the central regional champion Sunday.
The primary goals for the Buckeyes is to make yet another statement to the NCAA selection committee and to get their three top boats chosen for the NCAA championship (May 30-June 2) in Indianapolis, Ind. To do so, the team will need a strong showing on the water in all three of these competitions, but even then the Buckeyes’ Big Ten championship may be enough to get the Buckeyes to Indianapolis.
Despite the lack of a sudden death attitude, Ohio State head coach Andy Teitelbaum views this weekend as an opportunity for the Buckeyes to add yet another piece of hardware to the mantle in preparation for the national championship.
“It’s an opportunity for us to win a regional championship, which is something that the program has never done,” Teitelbaum said. “We’re hoping to achieve another milestone and do as well as we did at the Big Ten championships.” Standing in the way of the Buckeyes’ second trip to the winner’s circle in three weeks will be some familiar faces. The Buckeyes will square off against Big Ten foes No. 5 Michigan and No. 11 Michigan State for the third time in five weeks. Also in the regional competition will be No. 14 Notre Dame and No. 20 Duke.
Though Ohio State is seeded No. 1 in four of the regional’s six competitions, Teitelbaum said the Buckeyes are not letting their recent success make them over confident.
“The racing has gotten so tight between us and (Michigan and Michigan State),” Teitelbaum, the 2002 Big Ten Coach of the Year, said. “And then you start throwing in a Notre Dame, so if you are not going to go really fast, you could end up finishing fourth and not end up getting invited to the national championships.”
While Ohio State’s top three boats will look to prolong their season Saturday and Sunday, the Buckeyes’ second varsity 4 and first and second novice boats will conclude their outstanding year with their final races of the season this weekend.
Racing begins at 9 a.m. Saturday with up to three rounds for each competition concluding Sunday morning.
A NEW FIRST VARSITY 4
The Ohio State first varsity 4 will see a new lineup Saturday when the team takes to the water at the central regional finals.
The boat, which has struggled as of late and was only one of just two Buckeye boats not to qualify for Grand Finals at the Big Ten championships, will still include Laureen Ellison (Fr., Edgewood, Ky./Notre Dame Academy) as coxswain, Angie Wendel (Sr., New Weston, Oh./Mississinawa Valley) as stroke and Nicole Ginn (So., Ft. Wright, Ky/Notre Dame Academy) in the third seat. The rest of the boat will see a change. Christen Opperman (So., Centerville, Oh./Centerville) and Devin Walsh (So., Lakewood, Oh./Lakewood), both formerly of the second varsity 4, were bumped up to the first varsity 4 and will sit in the second and fourth seats, respectively.
SELECTION TUESDAY
After the central regional championships Saturday and Sunday, the Buckeyes will play the waiting game to see if they will be invited to the NCAA championship, May 30-June 2 in Indianapolis, Ind. The selection committee will announce the 2002 pool Tuesday May 21.
The field for the NCAA championship was expanded from 10 to 12 teams this year, giving the Buckeyes a greater chance to vie for the national title.
2002 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP
The Ohio State rowing team earned 138 points at the Big Ten championships in East Lansing, Mich., to win its first Big Ten title in the program’s seven-year history. The team finished 14 points ahead of second-place Michigan, the defending conference champions.
After posting afternoon victories in the second novice 8 and first varsity 4 Petite Final and the Grand Finals of the first novice 8, first varsity 4 and second varsity 8, the Buckeyes still needed to finish first in the first varsity 8 Grand Final to win the championship.
Ohio State won the final race with a time of 6:29.5 ahead of Michigan (6:31.2), Michigan State (6:32.0) and Minnesota (6:47.8) giving the Buckeyes enough points to claim the team’s first Big Ten championship.
“It was great racing,” Andy Teitelbaum, Ohio State head coach, said. “It was great to have every boat in the program put their shell on the water and win whatever race they were in. It was a total team effort”
The Buckeyes finished third in the 2000 Big Ten championship and second in 2001.
OHIO STATE SENIOR KIRSCH HONORED
Conny Kirsch (Sr., Potsdam, Germany/Helmholtz), is the 2002 Big Ten Rowing Co-Athlete of the Year, the conference announced May 7. Kirsch, a four-year member of the Buckeye first varsity 8, currently rows in the fourth seat of OSU’s top boat. She shares the award with Krista Buzzell of Michigan State.
Kirsch recently became the first rower in conference history to be named First Team All-Big Ten three times. She also is a two-time All-Central Region honoree, a second-team All-American and in 2001 was an All-Academic Big Ten selection and an OSU Scholar Athlete.
“(Conny) has been one of, if not our best athlete for all four years that she has been here,” Andy Teitelbaum, Buckeyes’ head coach, said. “She’s a big part of our program. (The award) is very deserving and fitting to a person who has done a lot to take this program to where it is.”
TEITELBAUM NAMED BIG TEN COACH OF THE YEAR
The Big Ten named Andy Teitelbaum 2002 Coach of the Year. Teitelbaum has led the Buckeyes to a 14-2 overall record this season and recently led the Buckeyes to the 2002 Big Ten Title, the first in program history.
“You only get to be Coach of the Year when your boats go really fast,” Teitelbaum said. “And that has everything to do with your athletes, your assistants and your staff. So, its just as much of an honor for the whole program as it is for me, but its certainly wonderful to be acknowledged by my peers for having a great season so far.”
FIVE BUCKEYES EARN ALL-BIG TEN HONORS
At the 2002 Big Ten Championships, five Buckeyes were named to All-Big Ten Teams. Conny Kirsch, Karla Fiserova (So., Jindrichuv Hradec, Czech Repub./Vk Vajgar) and Tatiana Grigorieva (Jr., Moscow, Russia/Olympic Reserve) were named to the All-Big Ten First Team. Franziska Schubert (Fr., Dresden, Germany/Vitzthum) and Maxi Meissner (Jr., Schoenow, Germany/Sportschule Postdam) were named to the All-Big Ten Second Team. This is the second All-Big Ten First Team honor for Kirsch, who was also named to the All-Central Region Team in 2001. Meissner also was an All-Big Ten First Team and All-Central Region honoree last season, as well as an All-American.
ABOUT COACH TEITELBAUM
Now in his seventh year at the head of the Ohio State rowing program, Teitelbaum has guided the Buckeyes to national prominence. For an outstanding 2002 season in which Teitelbum guided the Buckeyes to their first Big Ten championship, he was named by his peers as the Big Ten Coach of the Year. With a dual record of 41-15 and a 4th-place finish at the 2001 NCAA Championship, Teitelbaum’s career record at OSU now stands at 179-96.
CENTRAL/SOUTH REGIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIP SEEDINGS
Second Novice 8
#1 Eastern Michigan
#2 Michigan State
#3 Ohio State
Final only
First Novice 8
#1 Ohio State
#2 Eastern Michigan
#3 Michigan
#4 Clemson
#5 Michigan State
#6 Iowa
#7 Duke
#8 Notre Dame
#9 Kansas State
#10 Tennessee
#11 Indiana
#12 Cincinnati
Two heat winners qualify for Grand Final. Remainder go to two Repechages, first and second from Repechages go to Grand Final. Remainder to Petite Final.
Second Varsity 4
#1 Ohio State
#2 Michigan
#3 Michigan State
#4 Notre Dame
#5 Kansas
#6 Iowa
#7 Clemson
#8 Tennessee
#9 Cincinnati
Same progression as first novice 8.
First Varsity 4
#1 Michigan State
#2 Michigan
#3 Ohio State
#4 Notre Dame
#5 Minnesota
#6 Kansas
#7 Texas
#8 Duke
#9 Iowa
#10 Clemson
#11 Tennessee
#12 Kansas State
#13 Miami
#14 Cincinnati
Same progression as first novice 8.
Second Varsity 8
#1 Ohio State
#2 Michigan
#3 Michigan State
#4 Wisconsin
#5 Clemson
#6 Iowa
#7 Notre Dame
#8 Texas
#9 Minnesota
#10 Kansas
#11 Duke
#12 Kansas State
#13 Cincinnati
#14 Tennessee
#15 Miami
Top four from three heats quality for two semifinals. Rest compete in “C” final. Top three from each semifinal reach Grand Final. Remainder to Petite Final.
First Varsity 8
#1 Ohio State
#2 Michigan
#3 Michigan State
#4 Notre Dame
#5 Duke
#6 Minnesota
#7 Texas
#8 Iowa
#9 Clemson
#10 Wisconsin
#11 Kansas State
#12 Tennessee
#13 Kansas
#14 Miami
#15 Cincinnati
#16 Louisville
#17 Murray State
Same progression as first varsity 8
CENTRAL/SOUTH
Regional Championship
Schedule of Events
Day 1
Morning Heats
9:00 – First Novice 8, Heat #1
9:15 – First Novice 8, Heat #2
9:30 – Second Varsity 4, Heat #1
9:45 – Second Varsity 4, Heat #2
10:00 – First Varsity 4, Heat #1
10:15 – First Varsity 4, Heat #2
10:30 – Second Varsity 8, Heat #1
10:45 – Second Varsity 8, Heat #2
11:00 – Second Varsity 8, Heat #3
11:15 – First Varsity 8, Heat #1
11:30 – First Varsity 8, Heat #2
11:45 – First Varsity 8, Heat #3
Afternoon Heats
2:00 – First Novice 8, Repechage #1
2:15 – First Novice 8, Repechage #2
2:30 – Second Varsity 4, Rep. #1
2:45 – Second Varsity 4, Rep. #2
3:00 – First Varsity 4, Repechage #1
3:15 – First Varsity 4, Repechage #2
3:30 – Second Varsity 8, Semifinal #1
3:30 – SecondVarsity 8, Semifinal #2
3:45 – First Varsity 8, Semifinal #1
4:00 – FirstVarsity 8, Semifinal #2
Day 2
Morning Finals
9:00 – Second Varsity 8, C Level Final
9:15 – First Varsity 8, C Level Final
9:30 – Second Novice 8, Grand Final
9:45 – First Novice 8, Petite Final
10:00 – First Novice 8, Grand Final
10:15 – Second Varsity 4, Petite Final
10:30 – Second Varsity 4, Grand Final
10:45 – First Varsity 4, Petite Final
11:00 – First Varsity 4, Grand Final
11:15 – Second Varsity 8, Petite Final
11:30 – Second Varsity 8, Grand Final
11:45 – First Varsity 8, Petite Final
12:00 – First Varsity 8, Grand Final
Ohio State Boat Lineups
First Varsity 8
Bow – Maxi Meissner
2 – Natalie Legge
3 – Didi Albrecht
4 – Conny Kirsch
5 – Heather Feldmann
6 – Franzi Scubert
7 – Kaja Fiserova
st. – Tanya Grigorieva
cox – Vikki Agate
Second Varsity 8
Bow – Margot Shumway
2 – Amanda Spires
3 – Heather Arndts
4 – Megan McCartney
5 – Alex Leslie
6 – Anja Kalder
7 – Katie Buttine
st – Susi Wesenberg
cox – Ashley Orr
First Varsity 4
Bow – Angie Wendel
2 – Christen Opperman
3 – Nicole Ginn
st – Devin Walsh
cox – Laureen Ellison
Second Varsity 4
Bow – Becca Brinker
2 – Maggie Kathman
3 – Liz Tuppen
st – Merideth Corley
cox – Jamie Berning
First Novice 8
Bow – Christina Neveu
2 – Mimi Webb
3 – Jennifer Washco
4 – Mellina Musni
5 – Samantha Pfitzer
6 – Marisa Moldovan
7 – Casey Cook
st – Jessica Gittings
cox – Jessica Kress
Second Novice 8
Bow – Shauna Headrick
2 – Illaina Euvrard
3 – Shelley Payne
4 – Sydney Williams
5 – Shannon Mahoney
6 – Emily Super
7 – Marie Schmid
st – Courtney Hamilton
cox – Molly Ballman
