Rowers await NCAAs on Friday
May 28, 2009 | Women's Rowing
A year of preparation is nearly complete as the No. 9 Wisconsin women's rowing program returns to the NCAA rowing championships for the second consecutive season. The 2009 NCAA Rowing Championships open Friday morning on the Cooper River in Cherry Hill, N.J., and run until Sunday, when the NCAA champion will earn its crown.
Racing for the Badgers begins Friday at 9 a.m., ET with the second heat of the varsity eight. The Badgers will race No. 2 California, No. 5 Michigan State, No. 10 Brown and No. 11 Oregon State in the race, with the top three crews advancing to Saturday's semifinal round and the remaining crews racing again Friday afternoon in the repechage to attempt to earn one of the final three semifinal spots.
Wisconsin has raced three of the four other boats in its heat this year, falling to California and on a few occasions to Michigan State. Wisconsin outraced Oregon State in the finals of the San Diego Crew Classic back in April.
Expected to row in the UW varsity eight is coxswain Claire Geiger, as well as Theresa Shields, Maggie Galloway, Bailey Thompson, Vicki Opitz, Grace Latz, Meryl Chaffee, Katie Hurtis and Katy Haver.
Wisconsin makes its sixth appearance at the NCAA rowing championships since the event began in 1997. The Badgers made their first appearance in 1999, but then failed to return until 2004. Since 2004, however, the Badgers have now made five of the six championships, including four of five tries under head coach Bebe Bryans. The Badgers placed 10th as a team at the 2008 event, tied for the second-highest result in school history. The 2006 team's eighth-place result, along with the second varsity eight's bronze medal at the event, set the UW's historical NCAA standard.
Following the varsity eight, Wisconsin's races in heat 3 of the second varsity eight at 10 a.m. ET. The Badgers' attempt at a top-three finish and direct path to the semifinals will come against Michigan State, Brown, Michigan, Clemson and Dartmouth. Wisconsin beat Clemson two weeks ago at the NCAA Central/South Regional, but fell to Michigan State and Michigan in the same grand final.
Wisconsin's linup for the second varsity eight should include coxswain Sarah Obernauer, Sarah Bootsma, Katie Helmrick, Sarah Wrenshall, Kristi Johnson, Kylah Barbola, Rebekah Foelker, Anna Schettle and Ahna Olson.
Finally, the UW varsity four takes on Southern California, Ohio State, Clemson and Oregon State in the second heat at 10:30 a.m. ET. Wisconsin's four placed seventh at the NCAA Central/South Regional behind both Ohio State and Clemson.
Making up Wisconsin's varsity four will be coxswain Molly Evjen, Brittany Rapp, Briana Pittman, Bronwyn Knaebe and Kirsten Morelli.
If any of Wisconsin's three boats finish outside the top three, the Badgers will race again in afternoon repechages. The varsity eight repechage races at 3:30 p.m., ET, while the second varsity eight and varsity four repechages run at 3:45 and 4 p.m., ET in a final chance to reach the top 12. The top three in each repechage advances to the semifinals on Saturday.
The Badgers will hope to build on past Wisconsin rowing success on the Cooper River course. The UW lightweight women have won four of the last five IRA national championships and the last five Eastern Sprints on the course, while the UW men won the 2008 IRA title on the Cooper River.
This year's field includes 16 complete teams, up from 12 teams and four at-large eights from last year. In addition to Wisconsin, schools making up the field include Brown, California, Clemson, Dartmouth, Harvard, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oregon State, Princeton, Southern California, Stanford, Virginia, Washington and Yale. Brown is the two-time defending NCAA rowing champion, while Yale won the 2008 varsity eight.
Following along with this year's event is made easy by following one of a handful of links.
Live Schedule Results (includes heat sheets)
Live Mobile Minisite Schedule Results (includes heat sheets)
Live Streaming Video and Audio (available on Saturday and Sunday)
Saturday: code=ncaa&media=128582"> --> http://all-access.cbssports.com/player.html'code=ncaa&media=128582
Sunday: code=ncaa&media=128583"> --> http://all-access.cbssports.com/player.html'code=ncaa&media=128583
RELATED LINKS
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sportid=137&storyid=18022"> --> Watch UW reaction and Bryans interview about NCAA Rowing
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