April 9, 2016
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The No. 16 University of Iowa women’s rowing team went 1-1 at the Big Ten Double Dual on Saturday at Lake Macbride in Solon, Iowa. The Hawkeyes fell to No. 12 Wisconsin, 47-25, in the morning session before rebounding with a win over Minnesota, 42-30, in the afternoon session. It was the first home regatta for Iowa since the 2014 season.
The weather was sunny, but chilly with temperatures in the mid-40s and 8-MPH winds out of the southeast with 16-MPH gusts.
“The afternoon session went a lot better for us than the morning,” said third-year UI head coach Andrew Carter. “We took a look at what we were doing and made a few adjustments during the break. We talked a little bit as a squad and within the individual crews, and I think the adjustments that we made reeled them back in and got them focused on the right things. It seemed to get rid of some of the anxiety that they showed racing Wisconsin.”
MORNING SESSION
The Hawkeyes opened racing against 12th-nationally ranked Wisconsin in the morning session of the Big Ten Double Dual.The 3V4+ crew posted Iowa’s first victory of the day, besting the Badgers by 1.3 seconds in the second race. The rest of the Hawkeye crews finished runner-up to Wisconsin, a team that placed 13th at the NCAA Championship and fourth at the Big Ten Championship last season.
Iowa’s 2N8+ fell in the first race of the day before the 3V4+ recorded its win. In the 1N8+, the Hawkeyes hung in early but the Badgers began to stretch things out in the second half to cross the line ahead.
“Wisconsin always has very strong representation in the novice division,” said Carter. “Our freshmen are off to a great start this year and I’m pretty pleased with where they are at this point, but truth be told, we stumbled a bit this morning and you can’t afford to do that against really strong crews.”
Iowa held Wisconsin close in the 2V4+ keeping in touch until the midway point when the Badger’s surged ahead, ultimately crossing 2000-meter with a 6.5-second margin. Iowa picked up steam with the 1V4+, keeping in close proximity to the Badgers for the entire race. An impressive finishing kick came up short in the end, as Wisconsin edged the Hawkeyes by 1.9 seconds.
Iowa finished the morning session with the 1V8+ and 2V8+ races. Wisconsin got off the start in terrific fashion in both events and stretched that early lead over the course. Neither of the Hawkeyes’ varsity eights were able to overcome the early deficits and they were ultimately bested at the line.
“The race course was good this morning. I think the weather really cooperated with us. Unfortunately our crews came out a bit flat,” said Carter. “I’m not sure they were 100 percent ready to be in the start and when you’re facing a squad of Wisconsin’s caliber, you need to be 100 percent ready. Wisconsin is an outstanding program. There’s a lot of length and power in their crews and you need to bring a full head of steam if you want to keep pace with that.”
AFTERNOON SESSION
After a two-hour break, the Hawkeyes returned to the water for the afternoon set of racing against Minnesota. Iowa rebounded in a positive way, securing victories in six of seven events.The 2N8+ boat set the tone for the afternoon, finishing a dominant 14.6 seconds ahead of Minnesota.
The 3V4+ crew followed suit, excelling with a 35.8 second winning margin over the Gophers. The boat, comprised of Arika Henry, Hannah Rochford, Skylar McSorley, Rachel Jipp and coxswain Marija Pritchard, posted the largest margin of victory on the day.
Finishing out novice competition, Iowa faced Minnesota in a highly contested race and came out on top in the 1N8+ by a 4.5 second margin.
“Both freshmen crews rowed well within themselves and showed much better composure against Minnesota,” said Carter. “I think what they did out there was exactly what I’d hoped after the break so they deserve a lot of credit for being able to make that change.”
To start out varsity competition, Iowa overtook Minnesota by a full 15 seconds in the 2V4+, stretching an early boat-length lead over the course of the race. Iowa finished the varsity four events, besting Minnesota in 1V4+ competition by 14.3 seconds.
Carter liked what he saw from the varsity fours.
“The 3V4+ had already gotten it done against Wisconsin so I think they were in a good place. The 1V4+ and 2V4+ needed a proper rebound and I think they got it. They really handled themselves much better in the afternoon.”
Minnesota won its first race of the afternoon session, edging Iowa in a neck-and-neck 2V8+ event. In one of the most exciting races of the day, the Hawkeyes jumped out to an early half-boat lead. Minnesota slowly and methodically worked back into the fray to come on terms by the 1000-meter mark. From there, the next few hundred meters was nip and tuck with the Gophers finally poking their nose in front for good before crossing the 1500-meter mark. Iowa continued to battle and the margins continued to change in the final 500-meters but ultimately the Gophers put the race away by 2.9 seconds.
With a team win on the line, Iowa finished the day’s campaign in strong fashion in the 1V8+. Getting off the start in a clean and composed kick, the Hawkeyes held a half-boat lead at 250-meter. From there, they stretched their lead over the next 1250 meters. There were some effective moves made by the crew over the course and during each, they were able to put more of a gap between themselves and their opponent. In the end, they were able to claim a 5.7-second victory to help clinch 42-30 team victory.
Next week, the Hawkeyes are set to travel to Gold River, California, to compete in the Lake Natoma Invitational. The two-day event runs from April 16-17.
Line Ups
1V8+: Nina Hendriks, Zoe Ribar, Ashley Duda, Kaelynn Heiberg, Izzy Dolba, Cristy Hartman, Hannah Hawks, Beth Baustian, Katie Brown (coxswain)
2V8+: Rebecca Thompson, Gemma Kerr, Jessica Streur, Victoria Bricker, Morgan Grastorf, Kat Tillman, Claire Benschoter, Madeline Anglin, Georgia Sanderson (coxswain)
1V4+: Baillie McCunn, Danielle Bender, Sarah Powell, Bianca DiBellonia, Faith Wieland (coxswain)
2V4+: Ameilia Koehn, Trisha Huerta, Lauren Subler, Ashlyn Bauer, Ellen Cranberg (coxswain)
3V4+: Arika Henry, Hannah Rochford, Skylar McSorley, Rachael Jipp, Maria Pritchard (coxswain)
1N8+: Denika Kelsall, Rachel Valentine, Andjela Milenkovic, Megan Sprengeler, Lou Krieger-Coen, Emma Moores, Hannah Bristowe, Rachel Canon, Logan Jones (coxswain)
2N8+: Hannah Gruenwald, Claire Huguelet, Carly Millerd, Allison Blevins, Sam McElwain, Paige Schlapkohl, Kyla Dickey, Kate Frye, Elizabeth Pritchard (coxswain)
