No. 3 Rowing Takes Second at Central Regionals – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/20/2002 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
May 20, 2002
COLUMBUS, Ohio– For the second consecutive regatta, the No. 3 Ohio State rowing team found itself in a duel with No. 5 Michigan with a title on the line. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, unlike the 2002 Big Ten Championships, this time the Buckeyes fell short. The Buckeyes finished with 88 points, behind the Wolverines’ 106 to take second in the 2002 Central Regional finals.
While the Buckeyes finished second overall, they did claim victory in the regatta’s most important competition, the first varsity 8. The Ohio State first varsity 8 took home another gold, finishing at six minutes, 33.4 seconds, beating out Michigan (6:37.5), No. 11 Michigan State (6:37.8), No. 15 Notre Dame (6:43.2), Texas (6:46.4) and Duke (6:47.6).
Andy Teitelbaum, Ohio State head coach, said the victory in the first varsity 8 gave the day a positive ending.
“It is really becoming clear that (the first varsity 8) is opening the gap and starting to show dominance over the rest of the region and that is very good to see,” Teitelbaum said. “We are clearly getting faster in the varsity 8 and this is definitely the time of the year to be doing that.”
It was Ohio State’s most reliable boat this season that fell short and left the Buckeyes unable to come away with the championship. The second varsity 8, which was undefeated against Big Ten competition this season going into the central regionals, won both its preliminary and semifinal heats Saturday but finished fourth (6:57.5) in the Grand Final Sunday behind Michigan (6:51.5), Michigan State (6:53.8) and Wisconsin (6:56.2). With the first varsity 8 victory, the Buckeyes would have claimed the championship had the second varsity 8 finished second or better.
“The boat had been struggling a little bit since (the Big Ten championship) in practice,” Teitelbaum said. “They got down behind the competition (today) and they were not really able to get themselves back together. They really underperformed compared to the way they’ve been racing all year. It is a bit disappointing, but hopefully it is a lesson we’ll be able to learn from.” The Buckeyes also saw considerable positive signs from their other boats. The first varsity 4, which has struggled all year and nearly failed to make the Grand Finals at the competition finished a strong third in the Grand Final Sunday with a time of 7:31.3, 4.4 second behind Michigan, the race winner.
Ohio State also won both Grand Finals in two other competitions. The second varsity 4 once again crushed its competition, finishing at 7:35.5, a lengthy 13.6 seconds ahead of second-place Michigan and 15 seconds ahead of Clemson. The Ohio State first novice 8 began the day with a victory in its Grand Final as well, being the only team to break the seven minute mark in its race, finishing at 6:59.9, ahead of Michigan (7:02.5), Notre Dame (7:07.5), Clemson (7:08.2), Michigan State (7:14.4) and Indiana (7:23.5).
Ohio State now waits for the NCAA selection committee to announce the 12 team field for the 2002 NCAA Championship in Indianapolis, Ind., May 30-June 2. While there are no automatic bids for the regatta, Teitelbaum will still have his team on the water for practice Monday in hopes of being selected for the national championship event.
Final Central Regional Standings Pl. Team Points 1. Michigan 106 2. Ohio State 88 3. Michigan State 66 4. Notre Dame 19.5 5. Wisconsin 12 6. Eastern Michigan 10 7. Clemson 8 8. Kansas 6 Texas 6 10. Duke 2 11. Iowa 1.5 12. Indiana 1 Minnesota 1 Tennessee 1 15. Louisville 0 Cincinnati 0 Kansas State 0 Miami (Fla.) 0 Murray State 0
Sunday Results First Varsity 8 – Grand Final 1. Ohio State 6:33.4 2. Michigan 6:37.5 3. Michigan State 6:37.8 4. Notre Dame 6:43.2 5. Texas 6:46.4 6. Duke 6:47.6
Second Varsity 8 – Grand Final 1. Michigan 6:51.5 2. Michigan State 6:53.8 3. Wisconsin 6:56.2 4. Ohio State 6:57.5 5. Notre Dame 6:59.1 6. Iowa 7:05.7
First Varsity 4 – Grand Final 1. Michigan 7:26.9 2. Michigan State 7:30.4 3. Ohio State 7:31.3 4. Kansas 7:33.7 5. Texas 7:34.5 6. Minnesota 7:38.8
Second Varsity Four – Grand Final 1. Ohio State 7:35.5 2. Michigan 7:49.1 3. Clemson 7:50.0 4. Kansas 7:54.2 5. Tennessee 7:56.2 6. Notre Dame 7:57.3
First Novice Eight – Grand Final 1. Ohio State 6:59.9 2. Michigan 7:02.5 3. Notre Dame 7:07.5 4. Clemson 7:08.2 5. Michigan State 7:14.4 6. Indiana 7:23.5
