Rowers Come Out Strong in Columbus
April 20, 2008 | Women's Rowing
The University of Wisconsin women's crew team rowed through the wind and rain on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio, earning 10 victories in 12 events. The morning racers experienced calmer weather on Griggs Reservoir before heavy wind and rain caused the rowers some added difficulties in the afternoon session.
In the morning session, the Badgers' varsity and second varsity four boats posted wins over No. 14 Ohio State. The first varsity four (7:43.7) cruised past the Buckeyes (7:47.8) for a four-second victory. The second varsity four also earned a victory with their time of 7:52.9, compared to Ohio State's 8:20.3 finish.
The first and second varsity eight boats were unable to top the Buckeyes in Saturday 's morning races, but swept Indiana. Wisconsin's first varsity eight fell to OSU (6:45.2) with a time of 6:50.4. In the second varsity eight, the UW was unable to top the undefeated second varsity boat of Ohio State. The Buckeyes crossed the finish line in 6:56.1, with Wisconsin trailing behind the powerful boat at 7:11.8.
Against Indiana, the UW's first and second varsity eight boats earned victories with 7:02.8 and 7:12.4 times, respectively.
In the afternoon session, Wisconsin's second varsity four posted an impressive 30-second victory over the Buckeyes. The Badgers' 8:21.3 win earned them a sweep on the weekend over the Buckeyes' (8:55.4) varsity four boats. Wisconsin 's varsity four also beat Indiana with a 35-second victory.
Wisconsin's novice rowers also raced well on Saturday, winning all of their events. The first novice eight posted a victory over OSU while the second novice eight earned two wins over Iowa and the Buckeyes. The novice eight also tallied a win over Indiana with a 7:32.1 finish.
'It was a good day overall for us,' said head coach Bebe Bryans. 'I think we showed our depth in our novices and fours, they all did extremely well. Everyone improved over the day. The two varsity eight boats never worked up to their potential against OSU, and we were a disappointed in that. But the Ohio State boats did a good job of coming out and going after it on their home waters.
'The afternoon races were better. People stepped and up and responded to the challenges that we set forward for them. We have a lot of work to do before the Big Ten Championships and we have a little bit water time to do that. We're looking forward to a few weeks of practice before seeing everyone in Ann Arbor.'
For a complete list of results click here .
