April 12, 2004
THIS WEEK: The University of Iowa rowing team will travel to Bloomington, IN, Saturday to compete against Indiana, Wisconsin, and Ohio State. The Hawkeyes will take on Indiana and Wisconsin in the morning, and will meet Ohio State and Wisconsin in the afternoon. Competition will be held on Lake Lemon and is set to begin at 9 a.m.
THE COMPETITION: The Hawkeyes will be competing against two top-20 boats in Ohio State and Wisconsin’s Varsity Eight. Ohio State’s Varsity Eight sits atop the USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association NCAA Division I Coaches Poll, while Wisconsin’s Varsity Eight is 14th. Ohio State’s Varsity Eight has also been named Big Ten Boat of the Week for three consecutive weeks. Indiana’s Varsity Eight maintained an undefeated record until losing to No. 10 Michigan State and No. 17 Notre Dame last weekend.
GEORGE WASHINGTON INVITATIONAL: On Saturday, April 10, the Hawkeyes tallied 16 points to finish 10th at the 17th annual George Washington Ivitational on the Potomac River in Washington D.C. The V8+ took third in the finals, timing a 6:43.2 to finish behind Tennessee and USC. The 2V8+ also took third, finishing behind USC and Tennessee with a time of 6:59.81. In the Novice Eight Petite Final, Iowa’s N8+ took second, and seventh overall, with a time of 7:17.7, finishing behind George Washington.
HEAD COACH: Mandi Kowal is in her 10th year as head coach of the Hawkeyes. Her most recent accomplishments include leading Iowa to the NCAA Championship meet three of the past seven years. Kowal was a two-time rowing World Champion in the Women’s Lightweight Four without coxswain in 1986 and 1987. She was named “Female Athlete of the Year” in 1987 by the US Rowing Association and was inducted into the United States Rowing Hall of Fame in 1997.
QUOTING COACH KOWAL: “We’re looking forward to this weekend; all four of our crews will have the opportunity to put together complete races. We’ve learned from our past experiences and will be ready to take on Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio State.”