Oct. 15, 2007
IOWA CITY – THIS WEEK: The University of Iowa women’s rowing team will travel to Boston, MA this weekend to compete in the 43rd Head of the Charles Regatta. Races will begin Saturday at approximately 8:30 a.m., and Sunday at 8:30 a.m. Races commence each day around 4:30 p.m. All times listed are Eastern. For more information on the Head of the Charles, visit www.hocr.org.
THE RACE: Rowers will race upstream through a three-mile course on the Charles River. Boats begin at the Boston University Boathouse and will travel though five triple-arch bridges. The races will be in a head race format, with a 15-second break between each entry. The Hawkeyes will compete in club 8+ Saturday at 1:15 p.m. and in the championship 8+ Sunday at 4:22 p.m. All times listed are Eastern.
HEAD OF THE ROCK: Iowa competed in three different events last week at the Head of the Rock, including the varsity fours and eights, and the collegiate pairs. The Hawkeyes placed in the top five in every event, and ended with a second place finish in the women’s pairs. In the varsity eights, Iowa raced two boats, placing fourth and 10th. Iowa had two boats compete in the varsity fours, placing fourth and fifth. The highlight of the competition was in the women’s collegiate pairs, where Kristin Kelly and Laura Kanaris earned a second place finish.
HEAD COACH: Mandi Kowal is in her 14th 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: “When my rowing career started, I quickly learned about the Head of the Charles regatta. As a second year rower, it was my quest to participation Boston. It was a very special experience for the college program that I rowed for and I still feel that way as a coach. I think this regatta is special and a treat for anyone involved. As others have steered away from going, I still feel that I want the rowers at Iowa to be able to participate and be part of one of the most enjoyable races in rowing. We have been preparing our lineups, in just shy of a week, and have brought tremendous energy to each practice. I know the athletes are looking forward to going, but more importantly, showing their improvements made from the past race.”
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