Rowing Finishes Fifth at NCAA Championships – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
May 28, 2006
WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – The Ohio State rowing team concluded the 2006 NCAA Championships by taking fifth place in the standings with 52 points, the highest point total ever collected by the team. In their seventh-consecutive national championship appearance, the Buckeyes tied Washington State in points, but the Cougars placed fourth by finishing one spot higher in the first varsity eight Grand Final to take the tie-breaker. This is the fourth Top 5 team finish by the Buckeyes, who also placed fifth in 2002 and was fourth in 2001 and 2005.
Racing in all three Grand Finals for the first time in Ohio State history, the first varsity four recorded another team first by posting the highest Grand Final finish in any NCAA tournament race, placing third. The highest any Buckeye boat had previously finished was fourth in all three events. OSU’s second varsity eight tied its best finish with fourth place and the seventh-ranked first varsity eight boat placed fifth.
“I am really proud of the whole week,” Andy Teitelbaum, Ohio State head coach, said. “I’m slightly disappointed that we didn’t finish higher, but that does not discount this is the most points we’ve had at this regatta. We did the best that we could and the rest is out of our control. This was a great regatta capping off a great season.”
California defended their national team title by totaling 66 points and placing second in the first eight Grand Finals to win the tie-breaker over Brown, who also had 66 points but was third in the 1V8 race. Brown won the first varsity four and second varsity eight races. Princeton, who won the first varsity eight Grand Final, was third with 56 points. The NCAA championships were hosted by the Princeton National Rowing Association and Rutgers University and held at a 2,000-meter course on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J. All three NCAA divisions (I, II, and III) competed for their respective national titles at the regatta. The varsity four of Patricia Goodeman (Jr., Waterville, Ohio), Mary Sheehan (Jr., Johnstown, Pa.), Peta-Leigh Dakyns (Fr., Johannesburg, South Africa), Sarah Mominee (Sr., Martin, Ohio) and coxswain Susie Wilson (Jr., Fredericktown, Ohio) fought hard throughout its Grand Final. Brown jumped out to an early lead and held it from the 500-meter mark to the finish. It was a battle for second through fourth place though, with Ohio State, California and Washington State bow-to-bow in the last 500-meters. The three boats finished 0.7 seconds apart, with Cal crossing second at 7:45.350, followed by the Buckeyes (7:45.780) and WSU (7:46.091). Brown won the race with a time of 7:41.103. Fellow Big Ten team Michigan State was fifth at 7:49.335 and Washington was sixth at 7:54.032 to round out the event.
Ohio State’s second varsity eight of Lavinia Tinelli (Fr., Rome, Italy), Andrea Dymalski (So., Bremen, Germany), Simone Haubner (So., Leipzig, Germany), Justine Mahler (Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio), Katie Poling (Sr., Elyria, Ohio), Zuzanna Trzcinska (Fr., Ilawa, Poland), Briony Clare (Jr., Sydney, Australia), Olga Grigorieva (Jr., Moscow, Russia) and coxswain Sarah Obee (Sr., Toledo, Ohio) got out of the gates in a tight pack with the rest of the field. Brown built upon its slight early lead and pulled to a length lead at the 1,000-meter mark and cleared the field. At 1,500-meters with second through fifth place within a seat of each other, the Buckeyes made a push but could not hold off Cal and Wisconsin who crossed second and third, respectively, 0.11 seconds apart. Ohio State was fourth at 6:55.968. Washington State (6:56.179) and Princeton (7:00.475) completed the field.
In the first varsity eight Grand Final, Princeton, ranked No. 1 throughout the season, jumped to a lead from the start and by the 350-meter mark had open water between them and Brown and Cal, battling for second place. The Buckeyes’ first varsity eight of Charlott Goldstein (Fr., Berlin, Germany), Jana Schiller (Sr., Marquardt, Germany), Susanne Herbrand (Fr., Magdeburg, Germany), Ninett Kossowsky (Sr., Leipzig, Germany), Gabriele Albertaviciute (So., Vilnius, Lithuania), Beth Tompkins (Sr., Westerville, Ohio), Annabelle Fago (Jr., Giessen, Germany), Jessica Shepherd (Jr., Richmond, Ohio) and coxswain Colleen Saville (Fr., Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) hung with the pack, but struggled to make a move finishing fifth with a time of 6:49.319, 1.3 seconds behind Washington State in fourth. Princeton clocked in at 6:36.851 to win, followed by California (6:43.260) and Brown (6:43.521). Michigan State concluded the race with a time of 6:51.222 to place sixth.
2006 NCAA Rowing Championships: Day 3 Ohio State Team & Grand Final Results
Final Team Standings 1. California* 66 points 2. Brown 66 3. Princeton 56 4. Wash. State* 52 5. Ohio State 52 6. Michigan State 40 7. Washington 33 8. Wisconsin 28 9. Notre Dame 22 10. Yale* 21 11. Stanford 21 12. Tennessee 11 *won tiebreakers with higher 1V8 finishes
First Varsity Eight: Grand Final 1. Princeton 6:36.851 2. California 6:43.260 3. Brown 6:43.521 4. Wash. State 6:48.067 5. Ohio State 6:49.319 6. Michigan State 6:51.222
Second Varsity Eight: Grand Final 1. Brown 6:48.768 2. California 6:54.376 3. Wisconsin 6:54.486 4. Ohio State 6:55.968 5. Wash. State 6:56.179 6. Princeton 7:00.475
First Varsity Four: Grand Final 1. Brown 7:41.103 2. California 7:45.350 3. Ohio State 7:45.780 4. Wash. State 7:46.091 5. Michigan State 7:49.335 6. Washington 7:54.032
