No. 1 Ohio State Rowing Plays Host to No. 4 Michigan – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/31/2004 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
March 31, 2004
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 1 Ohio State rowing team is set to host its first and only home regatta of the 2004 season against No. 4 Michigan at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Griggs Reservoir on the Scioto River in Columbus, Ohio.
BUCKEYES TAKE NO. 1 SPOT
Ohio State earned its highest ranking in program history when it came in No. 1 in the first regular season USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association poll released Wednesday. The Buckeyes earned 10 first-place votes to move up from their ninth-place preseason ranking (March 11). OSU’s previous highest ranking was set in the 2002 season, when OSU was No. 3 twice during the campaign.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
The No. 4 Wolverines, who are coached by Mark Rothstein, are 3-0 this season after defeating Notre Dame, Clemson and Eastern Michigan March 27 in Belleville, Mich. Both the first and second varsity eight boats earned first-place finishes as well as the second and third varsity four crews. Michigan was the 2003 Big Ten Champion and finished second at the NCAA tournament last year.
LAST MEETING VS. WOLVERINES
The last time Ohio State and Michigan’s first varsity eights met head-to-head was in the Grand Finals of the 2003 South/Central Regional Championship. Ohio State placed second at 6:19.2 and Michigan followed closely behind, finishing third at 6:20.7.
BIG TEN BOAT OF THE WEEK
The Ohio State first varsity eight posted upsets over Brown and Princeton to earn Big Ten Boat of the Week March 29. The Buckeyes raced to a 6:26.2 time while Princeton clocked in a 6:30.83 and Brown ended with a time of 6:32.80. The award marks the second time since 2000 that an OSU boat received the Big Ten weekly honor.
LAST TIME OUT
The Buckeye first varsity eight upset Brown and Princeton to claim the lone OSU win March 27 in Princeton, N.J.
The first varsity eight posted its first victory of the year, outrunning the Princeton top boat by 4.63 seconds, finishing the race in 6:26.2 to Princeton’s 6:30.83 and Brown’s 6:32.80.
In the second varsity eight competition, Brown took first at 6:36.3 and Princeton came in second at 6:47.73. The OSU second varsity eight finished third at 6:50.67. Ohio State raced two boats in the varsity four competition. OSU’s first boat finished 7:28.79, just 1.19 seconds behind first place Brown. The OSU B boat completed the race in 7:45.9.
The Buckeye novice teams also took to the water as both the first novice eight and the second novice eight came in third.
BIG TEN LEADERS
Ohio State leads the Big Ten in the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association poll this season. Three of the seven Big Ten team are ranked in the Top 20 season poll – Ohio State (1), Michigan (4) and Michigan State (9).
TOUGH SCHEDULE AHEAD
After taking on then No. 1 Brown and then No. 3 Princeton last weekend, the Buckeyes continue to face tough competition Saturday against No. 4 Michigan. At the ACC/Big Ten regatta April 10, the Buckeyes will race against No. 8 Virginia and No. 18 Duke.
THE 2004 SEASON
The 2004 schedule will take the Buckeyes to all different corners of the nation. Ohio State traveled to Princeton, N.J last weekend. Ohio State returns Saturday to Griggs Reservoir for its first and only spring home regatta, where the Buckeyes will compete against the 2003 Big Ten Champions the Michigan Wolverines.
“We have a very competitive schedule this year, but the only way you are going to be the best is by facing the best,” head coach AndyTeitelbaum said.
The Buckeyes also will travel to Charlottesville, Va., and Bloomington, Ind., before going to Iowa City, Iowa, the site of the 2004 Big Ten Championships. Following the Big Ten Championships, the Buckeyes will travel to the 2004 Central/South Regional Championships, which once again will be held in Oak Ridge, Tenn., on May 15-16. The final regatta of the year is the NCAA championships held in Sacramento, Calif., May 28-30. “We are excited about this year, and feel it will be another great year as far as travel and competition,” Teitelbaum said.
AROUND THE GLOBE
In the tradition of Ohio State rowing, the team once again sports a delegation from around the globe.
The team now includes seven members from Germany (Diana Albrecht, Ninnet Kossowsky, Jana Schiller, Franzi Schubert, Suzi Wesenberg, Wilma Dressel, and Nora Oelbermann) and seven other rowers from countries other than the U.S.
Overall, the team has representatives from five countries (Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia and United States) and seven U.S. states (Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Virginia).
FALL RECAP
Ohio State began its fall season in impressive fashion winning the Speakmon Head Race in Columbus, Ohio.
Ohio State entered three varsity eight boats which all finished in the top three. The OSU second eight finished first at 16:17.4, the first eight fell just behind with a 16:25.11 finish and the third eight rounded out the top three at 16:55.36.
Ohio State also entered five pair boats into the competition, which swept the Top 5 times out of 11 boats.
The Buckeyes then traveled to Charlottesville, Va., where they took first place out of 17 teams. The Ohio State varsity eight boats all finished under 14 minutes. The OSU first eight finished first at 13:07.6, the OSU second varsity eight took seventh place with a 13:34.2 finish and the OSU third varsity 8 boat came in closely behind, finishing ninth at 13:59.7. The Buckeye first varsity pair finished first at 16:09.1, 18.4 seconds ahead of Duke, who finished second.
THE 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, 13 new rowers, including six freshman, will look to contribute to the success of the Buckeyes this season. Five members of the recruiting class are from Germany and the Netherlands and have all competed on a national team that went to the world championships.
“The leadership is great this year,” Teitelbaum said. “The upcoming freshman class is fantastic and have been able to compete at the highest level.”
The six freshmen consist of Wilma Dressel, Annabelle Fago, Ellen Maas, Nora Oelbermann, Briony Clare and Merel Julia Steinweg.
The team also will add seven rowers from the novice program, who should bring experience and power to the team. The seven new rowers include Beth Tompkins, Sarah Obee, Susan Cohen, Katie Machingo, Sarah Mominee, Kathryn Poling and Kelsey Reider.
BIG TEN NOTES
The 2004 season marks the fifth season of Big Ten Conference women’s rowing. Seven conference teams compete in women’s rowing: Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State and Wisconsin.
The Big Ten has two new head coaches this season as Steve Pederson takes over the Indiana program and Sue Ela returns on an interim basis to the helm at Wisconsin, a position she previously held for 18 years.
BIG TEN ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS
The University of Iowa will play host to the fifth annual Big Ten Women’s Rowing Championships Saturday, May 1 at Lake Macbride in Iowa City, Iowa.
Last spring, Michigan won its third conference title by virtue of the league’s tie-breaker after the Wolverines and Michigan State each tallied 123 total points. The tie-breaker decides the championships winner using results from the first varsity eight grand final. MSU finished third in that premier event while Michigan won the race to claim the conference title. Ohio State is the only other school to win a Big Ten rowing crown as the Buckeyes were victorious in 2002.
NEXT UP FOR THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State will travel to Charlottesville, Va., to compete in the ACC /Big Ten double duals April 10. The Buckeyes will face No. 8 Virginia, No. 4 Michigan and No. 18 Duke on Lake Michie.
