Hawkeyes Open 2006 Season at the Head of the Rock

Oct. 2, 2006

THIS WEEK: The Hawkeyes will make their way to Rockford, IL, Sunday for the Head of the Rock. The Hawkeyes’ first race will start approximately at 8:55 a.m.

THE RACE: The course is a 2.75 mile race down the sceneic Rock River. The Hawkeyes will have competitors in V8+, V4+, and open 2- events.

2006-07 SEASON PREVIEW: The University of Iowa rowing team and Head Coach Mandi Kowal look to the 2006-07 season with excitement and anxiousness. Two new faces join the coaching staff with Coach Kowal this year. Chuck Rodosky comes to Iowa after coaching three years at Ohio State University and one year at Trinity College to fill the novice coaching spot and help with recruiting. Another newcomer to the rowing coaching staff is Carrie Callen. Callen is a graduate from the University of Kansas and brings past experience as a coach for the Kansas City Rowing Club. The combination of a bigger class of seniors and their leadership skills and a hard working, energetic sophomore class hope to have a progressive and successful year. The Hawkeyes are lookng strong early and only hope to improve on a great things that are being seen in the preseason.

HEAD COACH: Mandi Kowal is in her 13th year as head coach of the Hawkeyes. In the 1997 and 1998 NCAA Rowing Championships, she coached the Varsity 4+ teams to fourth and eighth-places finishes, respectively. Kowal began her rowing career at the University of Wisconsin in 1981. She was a two-time rowing World Champion in the Women’s Lightweight 4- (1986-1987). 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 are using this competiton as a chance to race. We are trying to get every athlete in at least two events to gain some racing experience.”