Hawkeyes Head To Pac-10 Challenge

Hawkeyes Head To Pac-10 Challenge

March 29, 2010

Complete Release in PDF Format

THIS WEEK: Iowa will travel to California this weekend to compete at the Pac-10 Challenge, hosted by Stanford. The event will kick off on Saturday at Redwood Shores in Redwood City, CA, and continue through Sunday. This is the first time that Iowa has competed in the event.

THE RACE: The competition will take place on the Redwood Shores. Iowa will race the University of California, Oregon State and Stanford on Saturday. Racing concludes Sunday when the Hawkeyes meet the University of California again and also take on the University of Washington.

Iowa will have two varsity 8’s boats competing each day, along with one varsity 4 and novice 8.

LAST EVENT: The University of Iowa’s rowing team last competed at the Longhorn Invitational in Austin, TX. The Hawkeyes competed in the Varsity 4’s, Novice 8’s and Varsity 8’s down a 2000m stretch of Lady Bird Lake. The Hawkeyes raced against Louisville, Central Florida, Kansas State and Texas.

Iowa won all four races against Louisville and Kansas State. The varsity 8 boat of Sheila Rinozzi, Emily Vinson, Caitlin Kuempel, Jessica Novack, Emily Katalinich, Megan Erickson, Katy Kroll, Christine Allingham and Allison Robinson had strong races throughout the whole competition and adjusted well to the different weather conditions.

NEW HOME FOR THE HAWKEYES: The P. Sue Beckwith, M.D., Boathouse was dedicated September 18, 2009. The new state of the art facility for the Hawkeyes is located within the city of Iowa City’s Terrell Mill Park, next to the Iowa River.

It is an ideal site to fulfill all the needs of the rowing team. More efficient boat storage racks, an indoor rowing tank, and an erg room (for machine rowing) is incorporated in the building.

HEAD COACH: Mandi Kowal is in her 16th 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’re excited to test our speed against some strong non-conference opponents, “said Head Coach Mandi Kowal. “This weekend’s racing is great preparation for our upcoming races in both the Big Ten and South/Central region.”