Three Spartan Entries Qualify For Sprints Grand Finals
5/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
May 13, 2006
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - - Despite a hard gusts of a rough headwind all day, three Michigan State boats qualified for their Grand Finals at the 2006 Aramark South/Central Sprints in Oak Ridge, Tenn. on Saturday. Sunday's racing will feature the Spartan novice eight, second varsity eight, and varsity four racing for regional titles on Melton Hill Lake, while the varsity eight will appear in the Petite Final.
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The varsity eight raced finished in 7:02.4 in its morning heat, just over a half a length in front of its Virginia (7:04.5) counterpart. Iowa finished third, but was well behind the front-runners, clocking a finishing time of 7:15.79. Texas (fourth), Southern Methodist (fifth) and Cincinnati (sixth) made up the rest of MSU's morning competitors.
Things did not go as smoothly for the Spartan varsity eight in its afternoon semifinal. In the closest race on the afternoon, which was so close it was neck-and-neck from start to finish, the varsity eight finished in 6:40.58, a length behind Ohio State's first-place time of 6:38.3. However, varsity eight crews from Notre Dame (6:38.96) and Michigan (6:39.79) nosed the Spartans out of regional title contention. With the fourth-place finish, the Spartans will appear in Sunday's Petite Final.
"The varsity eight had a tough loss," MSU rowing head coach Matt Weise said. "The race was too close to call all the way - it was stroke for stroke, and we just couldn't pull out the victory. They did everything they could, and fell short [of the grand final] by less than a second."
The novice eight finished its morning heat in an impressive 6:59.1, comfortably ahead of the six other crews appearing in its heat. The Indiana novice eight, the same crew that defeated MSU two weeks ago at the Big Ten Regatta, came in nearly two lengths behind to capture second place, with in-state rivals Kansas (7:14.56) and Kansas State (7:15.0) finishing third and fourth, respectively. Clemson (7:19.54), Ohio State (7.24.28) and Tennessee (7:44.12) rounded out the field.
"The novices did very well," Weise said. "Everything has been clicking for them lately, and that crew has really come together over the course of the season. They've gotten better every day, and I hope it continues going well for them tomorrow."
With its first-place finish, the novice eight advanced directly into Sunday's Grand Final, where it will strive to become the first novice crew in the history of the program to capture a regional title.
The second varsity eight also won its morning heat, with a first-place time of 6:58.2. The Spartan shell finished almost a length ahead of second-place Tennessee (7:02.24) and more than two lengths ahead of third-place Duke (7:11.99). Big Ten rival Iowa finished fourth with a time of 7:18.4, fifteen seconds in front of Central Florida.
Facing a tough, gusting headwind in the semifinal, the MSU second varsity raced to a 6:56.15 finish, behind only Big Ten rival Ohio State's boat, despite leading by a deck at the 1500-meter marker. Virginia (7:00.16) finished third to round out the race's Grand Final qualifiers, while Minnesota, Texas, and Central Florida dropped into Sunday's Petite Final.
"The second varsity showed a weakness today at the end of the race," Weise said. "But it's a weakness they can work through. They had a great day, led up to the 1500-meter mark, and just couldn't hold on for the win."
The varsity four finished second behind Michigan (7:34.1) with its time of 7:36.23, ahead of crews from Notre Dame (7:50.5), Kansas State (7:53.22), Clemson (7:55.26), and Kansas (8:03.72) in their morning heat. The Spartans finished second again in its afternoon semifinal, three seconds behind Ohio State's 7:55.1. Wisconsin finished third behind MSU to also qualify for Sunday's Grand Final, while Texas, Notre Dame, and Louisville are on their way to the varsity four Petite Final.
"The varsity four has to get back to their strength," Weise said, "and their strength is the body of the race. They did alright today - I don't think the crew raced their best, but they did well enough to give themselves a chance to improve."
The races begin tomorrow morning at 9:00, starting with the second varsity eight `D' Final, with the starting gun going off in ten minute intervals. The novice eight will be the first Michigan State shell to see action, with its Grand Final set to start at 10:40 a.m. The varsity four will take part in its title race at 11:00 a.m., and the second varsity at 11:20 a.m. The Spartan varsity eight Petite Final is slated to begin at 11:30 a.m.
"We have to be great tomorrow to improve our chances to get a bid to the NCAA Championship Regatta," Weise said.
