BARABOO, Wis. — The No. 11 Wisconsin women's rowing team hosted its lone home regatta of the season on Saturday, and the Badgers took advantage of the unique opportunity.
 
Racing at Devil's Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin for just the second consecutive spring, UW won every single race in commanding fashion in the Big Ten/Big 12 Invite.
 
"Our priority was to work on our race plan and race against the clock, which I think we were fairly successful in doing that," UW head coach Bebe Bryans said. "We don't have home races very often, so we're not as good at them as we are on the road. So there are some little quirky things we have to work out with that. But overall, I think it was a really strong day."
 
In the morning session, the Badgers faced a pair of teams receiving votes in the latest polls in Minnesota and Oklahoma, and took all six races by at least seven seconds.
 
The Badgers squared off against Kansas in the afternoon session, taking all six races against the Jayhawks, while also adding a win against No. 19 Iowa in one of the two third varsity four races.
 
The closest any team came to beating UW was in the other third varsity four race, but Wisconsin's shell edged Kansas by a little more than a second to keep its slate clean for the day.
 
Not only was the regatta a chance for Wisconsin to race on home water for the first time in five weeks, but it also gave it a chance to showcase the venue for a potential future Big Ten championships.
 
"Devil's Lake is a gem," Bryans said of racing at the lake for the second-straight year. "For us, home is always going to be a little bit of a travel experience unless it's a dual race on Lake Mendota. So to be able to come 45 minutes from Madison and have a venue that is a first-class race course as well as a beautiful venue is really unique for us."
 
Wisconsin's NCAA boats all had strong showings throughout both sessions to highlight the day, winning all six races by at least a seven-second margin.
 
The varsity eight bested Minnesota, which it will see again next weekend, and Oklahoma in the morning session, finishing in 6:57.691. The margin of victory in the second varsity eight was slightly smaller, but UW was still seven seconds ahead of second-place Minnesota with a time of 6:59.782. The varsity four posted a 12-second win over the Golden Gophers, completing the 2000-meter course in 7:49.123.
 
The same three boats coasted to wins by at least 20 seconds in their final races of the day in the afternoon. The varsity eight secured first against Kansas with a 7:00.809 finish, while the second varsity eight did the same with a time of 7:11.114. With the largest margin of victory for UW among the top three boats, the varsity four finished 23 seconds ahead of Kansas to add to the Badgers big day.
 
"We have a really good, strong, deep team this year, and every time we have a chance to learn more, it's a good experience for us," Bryans said. "I think we learned a lot. We only have one more race experience before we go to Big Tens, so every stroke really does matter."
 
Wisconsin will race for the fifth straight weekend when it takes on Minnesota next Sunday in the Battle for the Burnin' Blade and the Hammer.
 
Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge
April 23, 2016
Devil's Lake
Baraboo, Wis.
2000 meters
 
Morning Session
 
Varsity Eight
1. Wisconsin, 6:57.691; 2. Minnesota, 7:06.813; 3. Oklahoma, 7:09.860
UW lineup: Coxswain Lily Hansen, Maria Schmid, Hannah Schwartz, Anna Knutson, Lexi Siverling, Maddie Wanamaker, Gillian Cooper, Brianna Dahm, Kaitlin McKeogh
 
Second Varsity Eight
1. Wisconsin, 6:59.782; 2. Minnesota, 7:06.611; 3. Oklahoma, 7:19.780
UW lineup: Coxswain Kate Condon, Gabby Simons, Dani Steinberg, Callie Hebert, Megan Whitehouse, Sophia Vitas, Margo Grover, Marissa Gibson, Andrea French
 
Varsity Four
1. Wisconsin, 7:49.123; 2. Minnesota, 8:01.542; 3. Oklahoma, 8:11.306
UW lineup: Coxswain Rosie Brezynski, Maren Schultz, Morganne Freeman, Claire Scott, Monica Gerber
 
Second Varsity Four
1. Wisconsin, 7:58.158; 2. Minnesota, 8:09.323; 3. Oklahoma, 8:10.932
UW lineup: Coxswain Beth Yudelman, Cheyenne Brandt, Anika Nelson, Lucia Kissinger, Emma Strenski
 
Third Varsity Four
1. Wisconsin B, 8:18.904; 2. Wisconsin A, 8:24.379
Wisconsin A lineup: Coxswain Elissa Raduazzo, Merritt Denham, Molly Jennerman, Alexandra Tead, Sarah Lueken
Wisconsin B lineup: Coxswain Sophia Noguera, Lucy Chadderton, Sophie Carr, Amanda Morris, Katharine Tippins
 
Novice Eight
1. Wisconsin, 7:13.209; 2. Minnesota, 7:27.479; 3. Oklahoma, 7:40.429
UW lineup: Coxswain Saylor Martin, Alicia Evans, Renee Olley, Alison Morrison, Sarah Roe, Sarah Gibbons, Dominica Wardell, Grace Armstrong, Madison Brunett
 
Second Novice Eight
1. Wisconsin, 7:24.187; 2. Minnesota, 7:46.594
UW lineup: Coxswain Jane Merriman, Riley Aschenbrenner, Elise Schedler, Alexandra Lohrenz, Emily Loohauis, Niahm Martin, Eliza Clifford, Lauren Ross, Olivia Mulford
 
 
Afternoon Session
 
Varsity Eight
1. Wisconsin, 7:00.809; 2. Kansas, 7:21.485; 3. Wisconsin Lightweights, 7:24.197
UW lineup: Coxswain Lily Hansen, Maria Schmid, Hannah Schwartz, Anna Knutson, Lexi Siverling, Maddie Wanamaker, Gillian Cooper, Brianna Dahm, Kaitlin McKeogh
 
Second Varsity Eight
1. Wisconsin, 7:11.114; 2. Wisconsin Lightweights, 7:30.976; 3. Kansas, 7:31.925
UW lineup: Coxswain Kate Condon, Gabby Simons, Dani Steinberg, Callie Hebert, Megan Whitehouse, Sophia Vitas, Margo Grover, Marissa Gibson, Andrea French
 
Varsity Four
1. Wisconsin, 7:43.587; 2. Kansas, 8:06.133; 3. Wisconsin Lightweights, 8:12.507
UW lineup: Coxswain Rosie Brezynski, Maren Schultz, Morganne Freeman, Claire Scott, Monica Gerber
 
Second Varsity Four
1. Wisconsin, 8:03.238; 2. Kansas, 8:16.648
UW lineup: Coxswain Beth Yudelman, Cheyenne Brandt, Anika Nelson, Lucia Kissinger, Emma Strenski
 
Third Varsity Four
1. Wisconsin B, 8:00.725; 2. Iowa, 8:12.519
UW lineup: Coxswain Sophia Noguera, Lucy Chadderton, Sophie Carr, Amanda Morris, Katharine Tippins
 
Third Varsity Four
1. Wisconsin A, 8:15.485; 2. Kansas, 8:16.831
UW lineup: Coxswain Elissa Raduazzo, Merritt Denham, Molly Jennerman, Alexandra Tead, Sarah Lueken
 
Novice Eight
1. Wisconsin, 7:13.211; 2. Wisconsin Lightweights, 7:36.477; 3. Kansas, 7:45.297
UW lineup: Coxswain Saylor Martin, Alicia Evans, Renee Olley, Alison Morrison, Sarah Roe, Sarah Gibbons, Dominica Wardell, Grace Armstrong, Madison Brunett
 
Second Novice Eight
1. Wisconsin, 7:25.745; 2. Wisconsin Lightweights, 8:10.970
UW lineup: Coxswain Jane Merriman, Riley Aschenbrenner, Elise Schedler, Alexandra Lohrenz, Emily Loohauis, Niahm Martin, Eliza Clifford, Lauren Ross, Olivia Mulford