May 11, 2016
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CHAMPIONSHIP TIMEThe University of Iowa rowing program is set to travel to Indianapolis, Indiana, to compete in the 2016 Big Ten Rowing Championship at Eagle Creek Park, May 14-15. Racing is set to begin at 4 p.m. (CT) on Saturday, and 8 a.m. (CT) on Sunday.
IOWA RACING SCHEDULE The schedule is listed below. All times listed are Central and subject to change with weather conditions.Saturday4 p.m. Heat 1 1N8+ No. 5 seed4:20 p.m. Heat 1 2V4+ No. 5 seed4:50 p.m. Heat 2 1V4+ No. 6 seed5:15 p.m. Heat 2 2V8+ No. 6 seed5:25 p.m. Heat 1 1V8+ No. 5 seedSunday8 a.m. Final 2N8+ No. 5 seed8:10 a.m. Petite Final 1N8+8:20 a.m. Final 1N8+8:40 a.m. Final 3V4+8:50 a.m. Petite Final 2V4+9:10 a.m. Petite Final 1V4+9:20 a.m. Final 1V4+9:30 a.m. Petite Final 2V8+9:40 a.m. Final 2V8+9:50 a.m. Petite Final 1V8+10 a.m. Final 1V8+FOLLOW THE ACTIONHawkeye fans can follow along with the Big Ten Championship on Twitter @IowaRowing. The action will be tape delayed on the Big Ten Network. It will be televised at 7 p.m. (CT) on Saturday, May 21.LOOKING BACK AT THE B1G CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORYFor the last three years Ohio State has led the Big Ten in rowing, finishing first with Michigan close behind each year. Iowa has been moving up in the rankings over the last two years, going from seventh in the Big Ten to sixth at last years championships. Iowa has placed in fourth place one time (2003), fifth place three times (2000-01, 2009), sixth place eight times ( 2002, 2004, 2006-08, 2010, 2013, 2015), and seventh place four times (2005, 2011-12, 2014).THE MOVE TO REGIONAL RANKINGSNCAA rowing has moved rankings from the top 20 nationwide, to set up a top six regional rankings format.. Iowa stands at fifth in the team rankings in the fourth region. In the 1V8+ Iowa is sitting in fifth place, in the 2V8+ Iowa is in sixth, and in the 1V4+ Iowa is in fifth.ELITE INVITATIONSTwo Iowa rowers received elite invitations to national rowing camps and had the opportunity to put the Tigerhawk on the map in the summer months. Morgan Grastorf and Gemma Kerr were selected to attend the 2015 U.S. Women’s Under 23 National Team Selection Camp and the 2015 Junior Canadian National Team Selection Camp, respectively.NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPSFor the first time in six years the Iowa rowing team has been ranked top 20 nationally. If Iowa is in the top four at the Big Ten Championships they will have a shot at being invited to row in the NCAA Championships for the second time in school history (2001)BIG TEN STRENGTHOhio State champions the Big Ten in the fourth region in NCAA rankings. Leading the teams and both 1V8+ boat they claim first, with Michigan is cloase behind leading the fourth region in the 2V8+. Wisconsin is third in team standings leading the region in 1V4+. The conference saw four programs compete at the NCAA Championships last year and boast the national championin each of the last three seasons.INTERNATIONAL COMPETITORIowa was visible in international competition last summer with Gemma Kerr and Hannah Bristowe representing Canada at the CanAmMex Regatta in Mexico City from July 6-11.BROWN EARNS HONORSSenior Katie Brown earned top honors, being named the Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient for the 2015-2016 year for Iowa athletics. Brown was also rewarded the Big Ten Postgraduate scholarship which is rewarded to two student-athletes each year.TAKING TENNESSEEIowa took part in the Tennssee Invitational May 1, in Oak Ridge ,Tennessee. The crews were pitted against Tennessee, Clemson, and UCF.The Hawkeyes swept the 8+ events and crossed in the runner-up position in the 4+’s. The 1N8+ was the highlight boat of the weekend, starting strong and continuing through the race with great strides.BOUNDING IN BARABOOThe Hawkeyes traveled to Baraboo, Wisconsin, to compete in the BigTen/Big 12 Double Dual against Kansas, Wisconsin’s Lightweight, Minnesota, and Oklahoma crews.In the morning session, Iowa took on Kansas and Wisconsin’s lightweight crews, posting six wins and a runner-up finish. The crews returned later in the day to face Minnesota and Oklahoma. The 1V8+ boat highlighted the day with wins in both the morning and afternoon sessions.CALIFORNIA PROGRESSIowa competed in the Lake Natoma Invitational on April 16-17 nationally elite crews in No. 1 Brown, No. 2 California, Berkeley, No. 7 Stanford, No. 12 Wisconsin, No. 15 Gonzaga, and No. 18 Notre Dame in addition to Sacramento State and Loyola Marymount.In the Saturday morning session, the Hawkeyes posted runner-up finishes in the 1V4+ and 2V4+. The crews returned for Saturday afternoon racing, where they finished runner-up to top-ranked Brown in each event, but ahead of Sacra-mento State. A runner-up 1V4+ result highlighted Sunday session racing for the Hawkeyes.HOMERUN AT HOMEThe Hawkeyes hosted their first home event since the 2014 season against No. 12 Wisconsin and Minnesota on April 9 at Lake Macbride in Solon, Iowa. Iowa fell to Wisconsin, 47-25, in the morning session before rebounding with a win over Minnesota, 42-30, in the afternoon session. The 3V4+ crew excelled with a 35.8 second winning margin over the Gophers to highlight competition in the second session. 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. Iowa’s 1V8+, 1V4+, 2V4+, 1N8+, and 2N8+ crews also won their respective races to help secure the win over the Gophers.SPARKLING STARTIowa opened the spring season with a bang, winning three of seven events and finishing second in front of No. 15 Louisville and behind No. 12 Indiana, a team that finished 11th in the last two NCAA Championships, at the Big Ten/ ACC Double Dual on April 3. The 1V4+ crew of Baillie McCunn, Danielle Bender, Sarah Powell, Bianca DiBellonia, and Faith Wieland (coxswain) posted the first, first place result for the Hawkeyes this year, finishing 6.6 seconds ahead of runner-up Louisville and 7.1 seconds in front of Indiana. The 1N8+ and 2N8+ crews dominated their fields, finishing first by 10 seconds and 40 seconds, respectively.A LOOK BACK: BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP SUMMARYThe Hawkeyes finished sixth at the 2015 Big Ten Championship held at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis, Indiana. Iowa’s point total of 79 is the second-highest scoring performance at the Big Ten Championships in program history, and the highest since 2003 when the Hawkeyes totaled 99 points for a fourth place result. Iowa’s third varsity four posted the top finish with a third place result, while the first varsity four and second varsity four crews each finished fourth. The first varsity eight and first novice eight both placed sixth in the field. Following the competition, Beth Baustian (first team) and Cristy Hartman (second team) earned All-Big Ten honors, while Zoe Ribar received Iowa’s Sportsmanship Award.FALL = FULL OF HIGHLIGHTS• The Hawkeyes met several training benchmarks and made strides in the fall season.• Iowa opened at the Head of the Des Moines, earning the collegiate trophy with top finishes in women’s collegiate eight, collegiate four, and novice eight events. The team’s top eight posted the fastest time across all levels of the competition field.• The Hawkeyes also hosted elite competition in Indiana, welcoming the Hoosiers for two days of scrimmage action. The top two varsity eight crews from each program raced in a time trial, or head race, format on day one. The Hawkeyes held their own, topping Indiana in each 4,000-meter piece.• The second day of scrimmaging included five 1,000-meter match races. The Iowa varsity eights traded wins with the Hoosiers, while the Hawkeye fours dominated the day, winning all five races in the 1V4+ and 2V4+ divisions.• Seeing a top program nationally prepared the Hawkeyes for their next challenge at the historic Head of the Charles Regatta. The team’s top varsity eight and four crews headed east to for the first time since 2007 and met the challenge with impressive results.• The varsity four placed sixth overall and third among collegiate crews behind Virginia and Brown, teams that placed first and third in the event at the NCAA Championship in 2015. Iowa’s varsity eight placed ninth in a field of 32, which also included top NCAA programs from all the elite conferences. Both finishes were the best ever recorded by Hawkeye crews in the history of the 51-year-old event.• Iowa also sent crews to the Jayhawk Jamboree, jumping up a level to fill the roster spots left open by the student-athletes rowing in Boston.• In the varsity eight, the Hawkeyes faced top crews from Kansas, Kansas State, and Tulsa, and earned an impressive third place finish. In the varsity four, Iowa’s top crew was the runner-up. As at the Head of the Des Moines Regatta, the novice eight capped the day with a win.THE CARTER FILEAndrew Carter was named the third head coach in University of Iowa rowing history in July 2013. In his first season at the helm, Carter helped the Hawkeyes attract the attention of the rowing community and receive votes in the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA)/USRowing Coaches Poll throughout the season. Freshman Morgan Grastorf — who began the season as a novice — garnered Pocock All-America Second Team and All-Central Region First Team recognition. She was also invited to attend the 2014 USRowing Women’s Pre-Elite Camp in June, which grooms up-and-coming rowers for the national teams. Following the Big Ten Championship, sophomore Zoe Ribar was named first team All-Big Ten, sophomore Lauren Subler was named second team All-Big Ten and junior Gabrielle Watson received Iowa’s Sportsmanship Award. The 2V4 crew of junior Rachel Crosley, freshman Kasia Gniatczyk, freshman Bec Clayton, sophomore Skylar McSorley and sophomore coxswain Rachel Chambers were recognized as Big Ten Boat of the Week following their first place result in the season opening regatta at Clemson. It marked Iowa’s first weekly conference honor since April 15, 2008 and just the second boat of the week nod for Iowa all-time. The Hawkeyes also excelled in the classroom with five earning CRCA Scholar Athlete honors and 16 receiving Academic All-Big Ten recognition. Mackenzie Norton and Skylar McSorley (4.0) were also named Big Ten Distinguished Scholars. In 2015, the Hawkeyes continued to take steps forward. The Iowa rowing program garnered votes in the polls and closed the year ranked fifth among Region Four of the NCAA. Freshman Gemma Kerr was invited to attend the 2015 Junior Canadian National Team Selection Camp and sophomore Morgan Grastorf was selected to attend the U.S. Women’s Under 23 National Team Selection Camp. The Hawkeyes tallied 79 points to finish sixth at the 2015 Big Ten Championship. Iowa’s point total marked the second highest scoring performance at the Big Ten Championships in program history, and the highest since 2003 when the Hawkeyes totaled 99 points to finish fourth. After the competition, senior Beth Baustian earned first team All-Big Ten recognition, junior Cristy Hartman earned second team All-Big Ten honors, and junior Zoe Ribar was Iowa’s Sportsmanship Award recipient. Grastorf earned her second consecutive first team All-Central Region honor, while Victoria Bricker, Ellen Cranberg, Madeline Anglin, Katie Brown, Destinee Gwee, Gabrielle Watson, and Hannah Hawks were named CRCA Scholar Athletes. Anglin, Brown, and Gwee were also honored as scholar athletes in 2014, while Watson received the third honor of her career.During his coaching career, Carter has earned more than 50 championship medals, and over the last 14 years, he has coached eight All-Americans and 36 National Scholar-Athletes. Before becoming a Hawkeye, he turned Miami into a nationally-ranked program, and led Clemson to its firstever ACC title and NCAA Championship appearance.
