2002-03 Rowing Season Outlook – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/27/2003 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
With three-consecutive trips to the NCAA championship regatta and the 2002 Big Ten title under its belt, the Ohio State rowing team is now a bonnified force in collegiate rowing and are vying for a national title.
The Buckeyes have quickly found, however, once you sit at the top with the best programs in NCAA rowing, the competition becomes as tight as ever.
After a 15 hundredths of a second gap between California and Ohio State in the first varsity 8 Grand Final sent the Buckeyes from their best national finish in program history to a slightly disappointing fifth-place finish at the 2002 NCAA Championships, the team now realizes what it will have to do in order to come out on top at the national level.
“We need to be fitter, stronger and we need to row our boats better,” Andy Teitelbaum, Ohio State head coach, said. “It’s like that at any level of the sport when you’re trying to improve. You have to row your boat better than your opponent and be able to match their strength and desire.”
On the road to a national title, the Buckeyes will most likely meet perennial powerhouses Washington and Brown. Ohio State’s thickest competition, however, may come from the next tier of teams that is becoming an ever-thickening pack of contenders. In recent years, teams such as California, Virginia and Princeton have risen in the ranks along side of Ohio State and have created a logjam at the top.
“There is a growing competitiveness throughout the nation,” Teitelbaum said. “It was easier just a couple of years ago to be in the Top 10. As you see programs start to emerge from other regions, it enhances that competitiveness everywhere.”
As for the Big Ten in 2002-03, the Buckeyes do not see rivals Michigan and Michigan State as their only competition. They see six other teams capable of winning a conference title.
“When you start in the conference, you always look at Michigan and Michigan State, but Wisconsin has gained a new coach and it will be interesting to see how that program evolves. Also, Minnesota in their second year has started to make some noise. There are a lot of good teams.” Teitelbaum said.
Looking well into the spring schedule, coach Teitelbaum and his squad have several goals, which they feel are well within their grasp.
“For starters, we want to defend our conference championship,” Teielbaum said. “We have another strong group of talented athletes returning and a couple of freshmen who are going to help us keep our talent pool high. On top of that, the novice class from last year that moved up to varsity should give us the depth to challenge for another national championship.”
RETURNING ATHLETES
While the 2002 season saw the departing of reigning Big Ten Rowing Co-Athlete of the Year Conny Kirsch, six of the eight rowers from the Buckeye’s first varsity 8 return in 2002-03.
“We return six of eight rowers, but also our entire stern four and that is the best part,” Teitelbaum said. “The people that led the first varsity last year are all back.”
The outstanding quartet of rowers returning to the stern is made up of seniors Karla Fiserova and Heather Feldmann, junior Tatiana Grigorieva and sophomore Franziska Schubert.
Fiserova was chosen by her coaches as the team’s most valuable rower in 2002. She also was named a second team All-American and to the all-central region and All-Big Ten first teams.
Grigorieva was a 2002 First Team All-Big Ten selection as well as a second team all-central region honoree.
Schubert, who was a part of the first varsity 8 in her first season as a Buckeye, was a member of the second team All-Big Ten and was an all-central region honoree.
Finally, Feldmann serves as a leader of the squad with significant NCAA regatta experience.
In the Buckeye second varsity 8, five of eight rowers will return for the 2002-03 season, which finished eighth at the 2002 NCAA Championships.
Seniors Meghan McCartney and Heather Arndts and 2002 Ohio State Most Improved Rower, junior Amanda Spires, all are among the returning athletes from the second varsity 8.
In the coxswain department, the Buckeyes return a strong team of young, but experienced athletes.
Ashley Orr, who was awarded the 2002 Golden Buckeye Award by her coaches for being the most inspirational athlete on the team, will be back for her junior season. Orr is now the most experienced coxswain on the 2002-03 staff and will likely make the move to coxing the first varsity 8 after two seasons at the helm of the second 8.
Sophomores Laureen Ellison, Sarah Fiebig and Jamie Berning look to further increase their contributions to the squad. The three split time coxing the Buckeyes’ varsity 4 boats last season and helped with novice boats as well.
“We are strong at the coxswain position” Teitelbaum said. “We’re better in that area than we were a year ago. We previously had a sophomore and four freshmen and that’s a lot of youth. That whole core is a year older, which adds up to a lot.”
NEWCOMERS
To go along with the depth and experience of the returning rowers, the Buckeyes have added another stellar recruiting class as well as several members from the team’s novice program.
Overall, 10 new rowers (two freshmen, eight former novices) will look to be a factor on the water this season for the varsity Buckeyes.
The first member of the 2002 recruiting class, Olga Grigorieva, is the sister of junior Tatiana Grigorieva, a 2002 First Team All-Big Ten honoree.
Also joining the mix will be Jana Schiller, another German student-athlete coming to the states to row.
“Both of them are tremendous athletes and tremendous rowers,” Teitelbaum said. “They could potentially be some of the best, if not the best, rowers we’ve ever had. I think either of them could challenge for a seat in the first boat.”
Among the novice rowers making the step this season to the varsity squad is 2002 Novice Buckeye of the Year, Jessica Gittings.
Joining Gittings in the group of rowers making the leap to the varsity squad are seven additional members of 2002 Buckeye novice boats: Christina Neveu, Mimi Webb, Jen Washco, Megan Gordon, Marisa Moldovan, Jess Dolle and coxswain Jessica Kress.
SCHEDULE
In 2002-03, the Ohio State rowing team will experience the rare instance of playing host to two significant regattas during its spring season.
Ohio State will not only serve as host of the ACC/Big Ten Double Duals April 12, but will serve as the host of the 2003 Big Ten Championships as well.
The Buckeyes will look to capitalize on the home-field advantage in defending their Big Ten crown when Griggs Reservoir serves as the site of the conference championships for the first time.
The team will kick off its spring season by heading to Redwood Shores, Calif. for the Stanford Invitational March 29-30. The regatta will place the Buckeyes in competition against other strong programs including Stanford, California and Southern California.
“The Invitational poses a real challenge for us to be sharp early in the season against crews that will have had considerably more water time,” Teitelbaum said. “We’re excited about the opportunity to go up to Redwood Shores and see the west coast schools.”
At the ACC/Big Ten Doube Duals, the Buckeyes will compete in dual challenges against Top 20 teams Duke and Virgina. Then, the team will head to East Lansing, Mich., the site of the Buckeyes’ 2002 Big Ten Championship win, for another pair of dual meets against Michigan and Michigan State.
Following the Big Ten championships May 3 in Columbus, the Buckeyes will travel to the 2003 South/Central Regional Championships, which once again will be held in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
The 2003 NCAA Championships will take place May 30-June 1 at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis, Ind. for the second-consecutive season.
“The schedule is a solid and exciting,” Teitelbaum said. “There’s going to be a lot of good weekends for our athletes to experience.”
