Oct. 4, 2004
IOWA CITY – THIS WEEK: The University of Iowa rowing team will travel to Rockford, IL, to compete in the 19th annual Head of the Rock Regatta. Competition will begin at 8:45 a.m. on Sunday, October 10. The event is being hosted by the Rockford YMCA Rowing Club.
RACE FORMAT: The race distance will be approximately 2.75 miles, starting south of the Riverside Street Bridge at Martin Park, and finishing north of the Whitman Street Bridge, running along the Rock River Bike Path.
THE COMPETITION: Last year’s regatta brought more than 1700+ rowers from 60+ clubs, universities, and unaffiliated racing over 400 boats in 34 events, and another large field is expected this year. Other Big Ten schools that will be competing at the Head of the Rock are Minnesota and Wisconsin.
LAST TIME OUT: Iowa competed in the 2004 Head of the Des Moines two weeks ago, winning two medals. The Hawkeyes competed in three events, capturing victories in two races and finishing second in the third.
In the women’s Open Eight race, the Iowa A team won with a time of 19.37. The B squad finished seventh with a time of 21.27. Iowa had five boats finish in the Open Pair event. The A team won in a time of 24.44, the B team placed second with a time of 25.24, the C squad took fifth in 26.00 seconds, the D team finished sixth with a time of 27.15, and the E team finished in 28.38 to finish ninth.
In the Open Four event, Iowa’s A team finished second behind Kansas State with a time of 22.40. The Iowa B squad finished seventh with a time of 23.50, and the C squad was 12th with a time of 24.17.
HEAD COACH: Mandi Kowal is in her 11th year as head coach of the Hawkeyes. Her most recent acccomplishments 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.