Rowing Wins First Varsity 8 Preliminary Heat at NCAA Championships – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/31/2002 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
May 31, 2002
Indianapolis, Ind.- The No. 3 Ohio State rowing team began its championship weekend in excellent fashion, winning its preliminary heat in the first varsity 8 competition of the 2002 NCAA Championships.
The first varsity 8 trailed No. 8 Princeton for most of the race but stayed within two seconds of the Tigers for the duration of the run, taking the lead in the last 250 meters. The Buckeyes’ sprint proved to be the difference. The team finished at six minutes, 51.6 seconds, ahead of Princeton (6:53.0), California (6:56.5), Michigan (7:04.7) and Cornell (7:09.6) to take the heat and advance immediately to the to the semifinals Saturday.
The race also marks the Buckeyes’ third-consecutive victory over the Michigan first varsity 8 in as many competitions, but are not done racing the Wolverines just yet. Michigan finished a close third in the event’s repechage Friday evening and will also continue onto the semifinals and face Ohio State again Saturday morning.
Andy Teitelbaum, Ohio State head coach, said that winning the early heats is important, but that not having to race for a second time Friday is the key.
“(To finish in the top three) is a great thing. Instead of having to stress out about whether or not you’re going to the semis and have to row another 2,000 meters to do it, (the boat) is going to have the opportunity to know that they have advanced and relax. It is a lot less energy expended.”
In the second varsity 8 preliminary, the Buckeye boat found itself in first-place, .52 seconds ahead of Washington with just 500 meters to row and in strong contention to win the heat and advance to the event’s Grand Final Sunday. Shortly thereafter, the Yale second varsity 8 crossed into the Ohio State lane causing Yale to be white-flagged and instructed to steer back but was not excluded from the race. The heat ended with Washington regaining the lead and coming out on top (7:09.9), followed by Yale (7:10.2) and Ohio State (7:14.6) in third. Second varsity 8 coxswain Ashley Orr (So., Dublin, Oh./Dublin Coffman) did lodge an informal protest at the finish line, but after careful deliberation, Teitelbaum chose to accept the race results and not file a formal protest. “I’m not certain, nor does the (Ohio State second varsity 8) crew necessary feel that Yale’s coming into our lane impacted the outcome of the race,” Teitelbaum said. “Both boats are going to have to race again tomorrow in the semis and neither boat was going to be granted a direct trip into the Grand Finals. So, to go through (a formal protest) is not really worth the disruption.”
Only the first-place finishers in the second varsity 8 and first varsity 4 heats earn the right to skip the semifinals and advance immediately to the Grand Final Sunday, so the third-place finish means that the Ohio State second varsity 8 will compete again Saturday in the event’s first semifinal at 10 a.m.
In the final race of the morning, the Buckeye first varsity 4 took to the water. The team battled the length of the race, bouncing between the fourth and fifth-place slots throughout the course, but finished in fifth (8:23.0) behind Harvard (8:04.7), Michigan State (8:13.9), Washington (8:19.2) and California (8:19.3). The team will get a chance to redeem itself Saturday in the competition’s first semifinal at 9:30 a.m., where they will have to finish in the top two to advance to the Grand Final.
The entire team now prepares for three crucial races Saturday which will each send the top three finishers to Grand Finals and the bottom three to Petite Finals. If the Buckeyes wish to vie for the national championship, reaching Grand Finals in as many events as possible will be critical.
DIVISION I RACE RESULTS, FRIDAY 8:00 – First Varsity 8, Preliminary Heat 1 Washington* 6:47.2 Harvard* 6:54.2 Virginia* 6:54.9 Syracuse 6:55.7 Washington State 6:56.3 Michigan State 7:03.3
8:15 – First Varsity 8, Preliminary Heat 2 Brown* 6:49.2 Yale* 6:53.4 Stanford* 6:53.4 Southern California 6:56.8 Notre Dame 7:05.7
8:30 – First Varsity 8, Preliminary Heat 3 Ohio State* 6:51.6 Princeton* 6:53.0 California* 6:56.5 Michigan 7:04.7 Cornell 7:09.6
9:45 – Second Varsity 8, Preliminary Heat 1 Brown^ 7:10.5 Virginia 7:13.9 Princeton 7:16.8 Michigan State 7:17.6 California 7:21.7 Harvard DNF
10:00 – Second Varsity 8, Preliminary Heat 2 Washington^ 7:09.9 Yale 7:10.2 Ohio State 7:14.6 Michigan 7:23.5 Stanford 7:26.7 Syracuse 7:30.8
10:45 – First Varsity 4, Preliminary Heat 1 Brown^ 8:02.8 Virginia 8:07.7 Yale 8:10.6 Michigan 8:13.6 Princeton 8:13.8 Syracuse 8:35.5
11:00 – First Varsity 4, Preliminary Heat 2 Harvard^ 8:04.7 Michigan State 8:13.9 Washington 8:19.2 California 8:19.3 Ohio State 8:23.0 Stanford 8:33.2
6:15 – First Varsity 8, Repechage (delayed from 4:15 due to lightning) Southern Cal* 6:43.3 Syracuse* 6:45.5 Michigan* 6:46.7 Washington State 6:47.2 Cornell 6:48.6 Michigan State 6:50.1 Notre Dame 6:52.6
*- immediately advance to event semifinal ^- immediately advance to event Grand Final
DIVISION I RACE SCHEDULE, SATURDAY (all teams listed by lane) 9:30 – First Varsity 4, Semifinal #1 Syracuse Ohio State Virginia California Michigan 9:45 – First Varsity 4, Semifinal #2 Stanford Princeton Michigan State Yale Washington 10:00 – Second Varsity 8, Semifinal #1 Harvard Stanford Virginia Ohio State Michigan State 10:15 – Second Varsity 8, Semifinal #2 Syracuse California Yale Princeton Michigan 10:30 – First Varsity 8, Semifinal #1 Stanford Virginia Ohio State Yale Harvard Michigan 10:45 – First Varsity 8, Semifinal #2 Southern Cal California Washington Brown Princeton Syracuse 11:00 – First Varsity 8, C Final (Places 13-16) Notre Dame Washington St. Cornell Michigan State 11:15 – Spares Race
