No. 10 Rowing Wins Central Region Championship, Lexus Cup – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
May 18, 2003
Columbus, OH – The No. 10 Ohio State rowing team won just two of the six boat championships on the final day of competition, but racked up 76 points overall to win the 2003 Central Region Championship. The team also allotted the most points of any squad in either the south or central region to be declared the overall regatta champion and take home the Lexus Cup. The Buckeyes edged Virginia, who allotted 70 points, and Michigan, who finished with 67. The win ended the Wolverines’ streak of four-consecutive Lexus Cup wins.
Both championships are program firsts in the eight-year history of Ohio State rowing.
Due to a rearrangement of the race schedule because of a threat of severe weather, the regatta’s more valuable races were positioned at the beginning of the day. The finals session began with the top race, the first varsity 8 Grand Finals, an uncustomary way to begin a championship regatta.
The OSU first varsity 8 took second in the race, but finished first among central region boats. Virginia took the central/south title, finishing in six minutes, 18.7 seconds, just .5 seconds ahead of the Buckeyes, who had defeated the Cavalier first boat in the only prior meeting between the two crews this season, April 13, at the 2003 ACC/Big Ten Double Duals. Michigan took a close third, finishing in 6:20.7.
Next, the Buckeye second varsity 8 struggled in its Grand Final, taking fifth (6:35.5). Despite the finish, the gap between OSU and Iowa in third spanned just .6 seconds. Michigan State won the race, finishing in 6:31.6. The tight race gave the Buckeyes just 16 points for the race and 49 through two events. The team trailed Virginia by five points and Michigan by three heading into the final four championships of the day.
Ohio State responded by winning the first varsity 4 regional championship and claiming the 12 points awarded for the title. The boat squeaked out the victory by just .4 seconds over Michigan (7:09.0). The dramatic win pulled the Buckeyes within two points of the lead in the overall competition behind the Wolverines. The first varsity 4 win paved the way for the Buckeyes’ regional championship.
“We had made some adjustments with the (first varsity 4) since (the Big Ten championships),” Andy Teitelbaum, Ohio State head coach said. “We made some additions that made a significant impact on the speed of that boat. The four is essentially a new crew. It’s a completely different look for the boat and it has paid off.”
OSU used the final three competitions: the second varsity 4, first novice 8 and second novice 8, worth just six, six and five points for first place, respectively, to take the lead and clinch the regional title.
Racing for the final time this season, the second varsity 4 and first novice 8 each took silver medals in their respective Grand Finals Sunday. The second 4 finished in 7:24.1, .7 seconds behind Notre Dame. Michigan took fourth in the race (7:26.3), tying the Buckeyes and Wolverines in the overall standings with 66 points each.
The OSU first novice crew was next down the river for the Buckeyes, finishing in 6:39.8, 1.3 seconds behind Virginia. Michigan finished fifth in the race (6:49.4), vaulting Ohio State into the overall lead, 71-67, over the second-place Wolverines. Ohio State would hold onto the lead, winning the second novice 8 regional championship, coasting ahead of competition and finishing in 6:58.1, 6.1 seconds ahead of Virginia in second.
“We came not sure whether we’d quality for the NCAA championships as a team and we’re leaving central champions, overall regatta champions and the No. 1 program in the region,” Teitelbaum said. “It was fantastic boat racing all day and it was very neat to come out on top. I’m proud for four years in a row we’ve positioned ourselves to be selected to compete at NCAAs.”
The Buckeyes completed a role reversal with the Wolverines from last season. In 2002, Ohio State took the Big Ten title while Michigan claimed the regional championship. This season, Michigan won the Big Ten championship while the Buckeyes took home regional gold.
The regional championship Sunday all but guaranteed a fourth-consecutive trip for the Buckeyes to the NCAA championships. The 2003 NCAA regatta will take place May 30-June 1 at Eagle Creek Reservoir in Indianapolis, Ind. The 12-team pool of competitors for the national championships will be released Tuesday.
2003 South/Central Regional Championships Final Standings 1. Ohio State 76 2. Virginia 70 3. Michigan 67 4. Michigan State 58 5. Iowa 52 6. Tennessee 43 7. Texas 40 8. Notre Dame 35 9. Clemson 10 10. Minnesota 9 11. Duke 4 12. Miami (Fla.) 1 13. Cincinnati 0 Eastern Michigan 0 Indiana 0 Kansas 0 Kansas State 0 Louisville 0 North Carolina 0 SMU 0 Tulsa 0
Ohio State wins Central Region title. Virginia wins South Region title.
Results – Sunday, May 18 First Varsity 8 Grand Final 1. Virginia 6:18.7 2. Ohio State 6:19.2 3. Michigan 6:20.7 4. Texas 6:23.1 5. Tennessee 6:24.4 6. Michigan State 6:28.2
Second Varsity 8 Grand Final 1. Michigan State 6:31.6 2. Michigan 6:33.2 3. Iowa 6:34.9 4. Virginia 6:35.3 5. Ohio State 6:35.5 6. Notre Dame 6:42.5
First Varsity 4 Grand Final 1. Ohio State 7:08.6 2. Michigan 7:09.0 3. Iowa 7:11.8 4. Minnesota 7:15.8 5. Clemson 7:21.6 6. Michigan State 7:22.4
Second Varsity 4 Grand Final 1. Notre Dame 7:20.4 2. Ohio State 7:24.1 3. Iowa 7:26.2 4. Michigan 7:26.3 5. Tennessee 7:26.7 6. Michigan State 7:28.0
First Novice 8 Grand Final 1. Virginia 6:38.5 2. Ohio State 6:39.8 3. Duke 6:40.5 4. Texas 6:45.1 5. Michigan State 6:47.3 6. Michigan 6:49.4
Second Novice 8 Grand Final 1. Ohio State 6:58.1 2. Virginia 7:04.2 3. Michigan State 7:06.2 4. Clemson 7:10.6 5. Miami (Fla.) 7:43.8
