No. 11 Rowing Set To Defend Big Ten Title on its Home River – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/29/2003 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
April 29, 2003
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ABOUT THE REGATTA
The No. 11 Ohio State rowing team begins postseason competition Saturday when the team plays host to the fourth-annual Big Ten championships.
The Buckeyes will vie for their second-consecutive Big Ten crown against six rowing programs from the conference. Last season at the championships, Ohio State finished first in every race during the afternoon finals session, winning four conference championships, two Petite Finals and taking its first team title in program history.
The 2003 regatta will take place for the first time at Griggs Reservoir on the Scioto River, where the Buckeyes hope to take capitalize on home river advantage.
Morning races will begin at 8 a.m. with the second novice 8 preliminary heats. The finals session will start at noon.
FOLLOW THE CHAMPIONSHIPS ON-LINE
For race schedules, lane assignments, team information and live race results during the 2003 Big Ten Championships visit ohiostatebuckeyes.com
COACH TEITELBAUM ON THE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
“This program has two goals,” Andy Teitelbaum, Ohio State head coach, said. “We want to win a conference championship and we want to win a national championship. The Big Ten championships are one of the two most importance races for us in a given year. Having the regatta in Columbus this year makes it more important for us to win.”
“When you are the defending champions, you have tasted winning most recently and to come away with any other taste is bitter,” Teitelbaum said. “Ultimately, you can only race your best because there are other great programs in the conference.”
CONFERENCE COMPETITION
The 2003 Big Ten Championships bring one of the premiere regattas in collegiate rowing to the Scioto River. The Big Ten has proven itself to be one of the top conferences in the nation, putting up strong performances at NCAA regattas.
Last season at the NCAA championships, the Big Ten was represented by three teams. Ohio State posted the strongest finish placing fifth overall, while Michigan placed seventh and Michigan State took ninth. In 2001, Michigan was the national runner-up, while Ohio State finished a program all-time best fourth place.
The Big Ten has continued to show its national presence this season, boasting four teams ranked in the U.S. Rowing Women’s NCAA Division I Varsity Eights Top 20 poll. Michigan holds the top Big Ten spot at No. 6, while Michigan State sits at No. 10 and Ohio State at No. 11. Iowa rounds out the Big Ten delegation at No. 17.
FAMILIAR FOES
Ohio State is no stranger to racing vs. its arch rivals, Michigan and Michigan State. Last season, the Buckeyes raced against the two squads at the Buckeye Invitational, the Big Ten championships, the South/Central Regional championships and the NCAA championships. Over the course of the 2002 season, the Buckeye first varsity 8 was 3-1 vs. Michigan and 4-0 vs. Michigan State.
The Buckeyes also have raced against and shared water with the two squads already this season. After participating with, but not competing against, Michigan State at the 2003 Windermere Collegiate Crew Classic March 29-30 and Michigan at the 2003 ACC/Big Ten Double Duals April 13 the teams faced off two weeks ago at the Big Ten Invitational in East Lansing, Mich. Ohio State posted a 5-3 record vs. MSU and a 4-3 record vs. Michigan.
ON THE DEFENSE
Aside from being on a mission to defend its Big Ten title, the Buckeyes also will vie to defend as champions in four boats. The first varsity 8, second varsity 8, second varsity 4 and first novice 8 all won conference championships at the 2002 Big Ten regatta.
2002 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS RECAP
The No. 5 Ohio State rowing team allotted 138 points at the 2002 Big Ten Championships in East Lansing, Mich., May 4, to win its first Big Ten title in program history. The team finished 14 points ahead of second place Michigan, the defending conference champions.
The afternoon began with a rousing performance by the first novice 8 which would serve as the foundation for the afternoon. While the conference title earned Ohio State just seven points in the overall standings, the win was the race that set the tone for the Buckeye victory.
After the first novice 8 victory, the Buckeyes never looked back, winning every race they needed to win to take the championship.
Despite Buckeye victories in both the second varsity 4 Grand Final and the first varsity 4 Petite Final, Ohio State still needed to fare well in both the first and second varsity 8 races in order to garner enough points to win the championship.
The second varsity 8 started this final run with a victory in its Grand Final, finishing with a time of 6:34.7, ahead of Michigan (6:37.0). This left the Buckeyes five points ahead of Michigan in the overall standings, meaning that Ohio State would need to finish at least one place ahead of the Wolverines in the first varsity 8 Grand Final in order to win.
Ohio State won the final race of the afternoon (6:29.5) ahead of Michigan (6:31.2), Michigan State (6:32.0) and Minnesota (6:47.8) giving them 138 points on the day and the team’s first Big Ten championship.
BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS NO. 4
The Big Ten championships Saturday will be the fourth-annual conference regatta. The Michigan Wolverines won the first two conference championships in 2000 and 2001, while the Buckeyes snagged their first team title in 2002. Ohio State finished third overall in 2000 and second in 2001.
In the three-year history of the championships, Ohio State has had 12 All-Big Ten team members, boasting six first-team honorees.
Last season, Karla Fiserova, Tatiana Grigorieva and Conny Kirsch were named to the all-conference first team, while Maxi Meissner and Franziska Schubert were named second team honorees. Kirsch also was named the Big Ten Rowing Co-Athlete of the Year.
SECOND 4 RIDES TWO-YEAR STREAK INTO BIG TENS
When the Ohio State second varsity 4 takes to the water Saturday, it not only will be competing for its second-consecutive conference title, but will attempt to extend an undefeated streak that extends back nearly two full seasons.
The second 4 has not lost a race since the 2001 Big Ten Championships Grand Final, where the team finished third. Since that race, the boat has posted a 25-0 record and claimed 2002 conference and regional titles. Over the course of the streak, the boat is 15-0 vs. Big Ten competition.
VARSITY 8 CLAIMS BIG TEN HONORS
The Ohio State rowing first varsity 8 was named Big Ten Co-Boat of the Week, the conference announced April 14. The boat earned the award for its performance at the 2003 ACC/Big Ten Double Duals April 12 at Griggs Reservoir on the Scioto River, where the team defeated Duke and Virginia.
“It’s a nice honor for the athletes and the entire Ohio State team,” Andy Teitelbaum, Ohio State head coach, said.
SENIOR ROWERS
The Ohio State rowing team’s seven seniors will be honored at the 2003 Big Ten Rowing Banquet Friday prior to the championships.
The squad of Buckeyes rowing in their final season includes Maxi Meissner, Heather Feldmann and Karla Fiserova of the first varsity 8, Heather Arndts and Meghan McCartney of the second 8, Jessica Dolle of the first varsity 4 and Jessica Gittings of the second 4.
LAST TIME OUT
The No. 11 Ohio State first varsity 8 (2-5) fell to Michigan and Michigan State, but the team posted winning records overall against both conference opponents April 19 at the Big Ten Invitational in East Lansing, Mich. Overall on the day, the Buckeyes posted a 4-3 mark vs. Michigan, a 5-3 record vs. Michigan State and were 2-0 against Indiana to total 11-6 on the day.
In the morning, the first varsity 8 was edged in a close race vs. the Spartans, falling by just .58 seconds. In the afternoon, Ohio State was unable to hold close to a Wolverine squad that was coming off an easy win over Indiana in the morning, finishing 9.32 seconds behind Michigan.
The second varsity 8 experienced a rough morning in a loss to Michigan State, but rebounded vs. Michigan in the afternoon. The boat fell to Michigan State in the morning, finishing 4.18 seconds behind the Spartan second varsity. The Buckeye second 8 bounced back in its second race, however, overcoming Michigan by 7.23 seconds.
The first varsity 4 raced in identical races in both the morning and afternoon sessions, finishing second out of three teams in both races. The boat twice defeated Michigan State and lost to Michigan. The losses to Michigan were by just one second in the morning and 2.76 seconds in the afternoon.
The second 4 had the best day of any Buckeye varsity boat, outrunning three teams in the morning and two more in the afternoon to extend its season mark to 7-0. The second novice 8 also was undefeated on the day, defeating both the Spartans and Wolverines in respective morning and afternoon races.
The first novice 8, meanwhile, was nipped by Michigan State in the morning session, 7:00.59 to 7:01.89, but defeated the Michigan top novice boat by 13 seconds in the afternoon.
A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE
Six of the eight rowers from the 2002 Ohio State first varsity 8, including the entire stern, have returned to create a strong first boat, comparable to the Buckeyes’ top boat from last season, which took fourth place at the NCAA championships.
The boat is led by seniors Maxi Meissner and Karla Fiserova.
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.
Junior Tatiana Grigorieva and sophomore Franziska Schubert also have helped bring power to the boat. Grigorieva and Schubert both were all-central region and All-Big Ten honorees in 2002.
In the second varsity 8, senior Meghan McCartney and senior Heather Arndts are among the returning rowers.
Junior Ashley Orr, after spending the past two seasons as coxswain of the second varsity 8, has been a solid leader so far for the Ohio State first 8.
Sophomores Laureen Ellison and Jamie Berning also have returned to the squad and are further increasing their contributions, serving as coxswains of the second varsity 8 and first varsity 4, respectively.
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
In the tradition of Ohio State rowing, the team once again sports a delegation from around the globe.
The team now includes six members from Germany (Diana Albrecht, Ninnet Kossowsky, Maxi Meissner, Jana Schiller, Franziska Schubert, and Susi Wesenberg) and four other members from countries other than the U.S.
Overall, the team has representatives from five countries (United States, Germany, Czech Republic, Russia and Australia) and seven states (Ohio, Va., Ky., Md., Calif., N.J. and N.Y.).
ABOUT COACH TEITELBAUM
Now in his eighth year at the head of the Ohio State rowing program, Andy Teitelbaum has guided the Buckeyes to national prominence.
For an outstanding 2002 season in which Teitelbaum guided the Buckeyes to their first Big Ten championship, he was named by his peers as the Big Ten and central region Coach of the Year.
With a record of 53-5 in the 2002 season and a fifth-place finish at the 2002 NCAA Championships, Teitelbaum’s career record at OSU now stands at 198-102.
NEXT UP
The Ohio State rowing team will continue postseason play at the 2003 South/Central Regional Championships, May 17-18, in Oak Ridge, Tenn., where the team will vie for its fourth-consecutive trip to the NCAA championships.
The Buckeyes finished second at the 2002 central/south regional regatta, while Michigan won the regional crown.
