May 10, 2010
- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch (2009-10 season)
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone app!
THIS WEEK: The University of Iowa women’s rowing team will travel to Oak Ridge, TN, this weekend to compete in the 2010 Aramark Central/South Regionals, hosted by the University of Tennessee. Prelims will begin Saturday morning, followed by semifinals Saturday afternoon and finals Sunday morning.
THE RACE: The regatta will begin with four heats of five boats each. The top three teams in each heat will continue to the semifinal round where they must be in the top three to race in the grand final.
BIG TEN HONORS: Big Ten honors were recently announce and three Hawkeyes were recognized. Senior Sheila Rinozzi was named to the all-Big Ten team while junior Jess Novack was named to the second team. Senior Megan Erickson was a Big Ten sportsmanship honoree.
2009 ARAMARK CENTRAL REGIONAL SPRINTS: The Hawkeyes sent all five boats to the finals in last year’s regionals. After winning the V8+ final, Iowa finished seventh overall and fifth in the Central Regional team standings with 241 points.
LAST EVENT: The Hawkeyes last competed at the Big Ten Championships May 1. Iowa qualified for the petite finals with five out of its six boats and won the 1V8+ final. The Hawkeyes finished in sixth with 51 points.
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: “Like in the past, the Iowa Hawkeyes are really looking forward to racing at the South-Central Sprints. The course is great, the venue is viewer friendly, there will be 24 schools racing and we will be done with our finals. All of these factors make for a great rowing experience. It’s fun to race in the biggest regional championship event, in women’s rowing, in the country.”