No. 3 Rowing Heads to 2002 NCAA Championships – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/27/2002 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
May 27, 2002
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL REGATTA
The No. 3 Ohio State women’s rowing team will head to Indianapolis hoping to win its first national championship in program history. The Buckeyes claimed the 2002 Big Ten Championship and took second-place at the central regional finals May 19-20.
The team, which finished fourth at the 2001 NCAA Championships, has had a strong year from beginning to end and looks to improve upon its finish last season. Andy Teitelbaum, Ohio State head coach, said his team is ready to tackle the nation’s best competition.
“At this point, we are through two of the three (championship) races,” Teitelbaum said. “We did very well at Big Tens, we did reasonably well at centrals. Now, the race that we have worked for all year is in front of us.”
The national championship is decided by three boats: the first and second varsity 8 and first varsity 4. If the Buckeyes wish to be in the hunt for the title, success in all three competitions is crucial.
“The first step is to see if we can get all three boats into the Grand Finals,” Teitelbaum, the 2002 Big Ten Coach of the Year, said. “The second step, if we are able to achieve that, is to have our best race of the season in the Grand Finals.”
Competition begins at 8 a.m. Friday with preliminary heats for the first varsity 8 competition and concludes Sunday morning with the first varisy 8 Grand Final.
A HOT VARSITY 8
The No. 3 Ohio State first varsity 8 boat comes into the national regatta undefeated in its last three competitions. The last loss came at the hands of No. 5 Michigan at the Buckeye Invitational April 13. The boat has since defeated the Wolverines twice at both the Big Ten championship and the central regional finals.
The boat has racked up a 19-2 record this spring season. In addition to having defeated Michigan twice this year and No. 7 Michigan State three times, the OSU first varsity 8 has also posted wins over No. 9 California, No. 10 Washington State, No. 12 Stanford and No. 15 Southern California as well as two wins over No. 13 Notre Dame and No. 14 Virginia. The Buckeyes have therefore raced and beaten eight of the 15 first varsity 8 boats they will be competiting against at the 2002 NCAA Championships. The boat’s only other loss this season came at the hands of the top-ranked Washington Huskies, who are the defending national champions. Teitelbaum said he is ready for another strong finish from his first boat.
“(The first varsity 8) has raced with a lot of consistency since the Buckeye Invitational. They have seen a lot of very good speed from other teams and so right now, I am very confident that the first
varsity is going to race to their potential.”
FAMILIAR FACES
For the third-consecutive competition, the Buckeyes will see two familiar Big Ten rivals on the water at the national championship. Michigan and Michigan State were both invited to the national regatta and will once again compete against the Buckeyes.
Ohio State defeated both Michigan and Michigan State at the 2002 Big Ten Championships in both the first and second varsity 8 Grand Finals as well as overall to take home the Big Ten title. At the central regional finals May 19-20, the Buckeyes defeated both teams again in the first varsity 8 competition but finished second overall after a fourth-place finish in the second varsity 8 Grand Final behind both the Wolverines and Spartans.
If the Buckeyes wish to bring home a national championship, they will have to once again make their way through these conference foes.
EAGLE CREEK PARK
The site for the 2002 NCAA Championships will be Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis, Ind. With 1,400 acres of water and 3,900 acres of dry land, Eagle Creek is the fourth-largest city-owned park in the United States. The park is located just 10 minutes from downtown Indianapolis and is home to public sailing, windsurfing, camping and birdwatching.
CENTRAL REGIONAL RECAP
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, unlike the 2002 Big Ten Championships, this time the Buckeyes fell short. Ohio State 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), Michigan State (6:37.8), 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.”
Ohio State won Grand Finals in two other competitions as well. The second varsity 4 finished its season by once again crushing 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).
2002 BIG TEN CHAMPIONS
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.
Ohio State won the final race of the day, the first varsity 8 Grand Final (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 ATHLETES 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.”
Karla Fiserova (So., Jindrichuv Hradec, Czech Repub./Vk Vajgar) and Tatiana Grigorieva (Jr., Moscow, Russia/Olympic Reserve) were also named to the All-Big Ten First Team following the Big Ten championship. Franziska Schubert (Fr., Dresden, Germany/Vitzthum) and Maxi Meissner (Jr., Schoenow, Germany/Sportschule Postdam) were named to the All-Big Ten Second Team.
TEITELBAUM NAMED BIG TEN COACH OF THE YEAR
The Big Ten also named Andy Teitelbaum 2002 Coach of the Year. Teitelbaum has led the Buckeyes to a 19-2 overall record this season and recently led the team to the 2002 Big Ten Title, its 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.”
2001 NCAA CHAMIONSHIPS RECAP
Ohio State made its second-consecutive appearence at the NCAA championship in 2001, finishing fourth. The regatta held at Lake Laner in Gainesville, Ga., saw the Ohio State team allot 37 points, finishing only behind Washington (58), Michigan (53) and Brown (49).
The OSU first varsity 8 earned 18 of those points winning the Petite Final of the event (6:44.87). The team also earned 12 points from a fifth-place finish by the second varsity 8 in the competition’s Grand Final.
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 184-96.
2002 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
PROGRESSION / SCORING
FIRST VARSITY 8
Progression
Top two finishers in each of three heats go directly one of two semifinal heats. All others go to one of to repechages. Top three finishers in each repechage continue onto semifinals. Top three finishers in each semifinal proceed to Grand Finals, all others go to Petite Final.
Scoring
First place is worth 36 points. Second is worth 33, third 30, fourth 27, etc.
SECOND VARSITY 8
Progression
Winner of each of two preliminary heats goes directly to Grand Final. Everyone else goes to one of two Repechages. Top two finishers of each Repechage advances onto Grand Final. All others attend Petite Final.
Scoring
First place is worth 24 points. Second is worth 22, third 20, fourth 18, etc.
FIRST VARSITY 4
Progression
Same as second varsity 8.
Scoring
First place is worth 12 points. Second is worth 11, third 10, fourth nine, etc.
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
