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INDIANAPOLIS — The University of Iowa women’s rowing team finished tied for fourth with a record 106 points at the 2017 Big Ten Championships. Cristy Hartman was named First Team All-Big Ten, Ashley Duda was named Second Team All-Big Ten, and Sarah Powell was a Sportsmanship Award Honoree to highlight the event.
The Championship started with the II Novice 8 event with the Hawkeyes crossing the line in fourth place behind crews from Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The 2N notched the first points of the day, posting five toward the team total.
On the start next were the fifth-seeded I Novice 8 with Laura Justis at the helm. The Hawks put in gutsy effort over the 2000m course, outpacing their seed and finishing in fourth position. Michigan won the event with the Hawkeyes ahead of Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan State and Rutgers.
The II and III Varsity 4’s, racing in new lineups, each finished sixth in their races, notching an additional six points toward the team championship total.
The I Varsity 4 was the first of the NCAA boat classes to take to the water of the Eagle Creek Reservoir course. The quartering cross-winds began to increase at the start of the 1V4, pushing above the eight mile per hour mark and growing. Like the II and III Varsity 4’s, the 1V4 launched with a new lineup for the first time this season. The new lineup never really found its rhythm in the bumpy conditions and found itself in a battle with Michigan State and Indiana early in the race with Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin pulling away. At the finish, the Hawks had been outpaced by both Michigan State and Indiana and crossed in sixth positon overall ahead of Minnesota and Rutgers.
The fourth-seeded II Varsity 8 got away from the start in good shape against an incredibly strong field. Michigan and Ohio State established a blistering pace at the front of the field, followed by a Wisconsin crew that has been one of the top 2V8’s in the country throughout the year. As the race progressed in the third 500 meters, the Hawks began to work back into the Badgers and entering the final 500m, they were mounting a serious threat for the bronze medal. The Hawkeyes ran out of room and came up a mere 1.28 seconds short of the medals, finishing in fourth position.
The I Varsity 8, also seeded fourth, tore away from the start, working hard to keep pace with the two leaders from Ohio State and Michigan. The Hawkeyes settled into third positon ahead of Indiana with Wisconsin giving hard chase in fifth. The positions held well into the final 500m with the Hoosier’s chase steadily taking effect as they narrowed the margin to a deck-length as the two crews entered the final 250m. Indiana mounted a ferocious finish to overtake the Hawkeyes at the line to claim the bronze medal by a slim 1.08 second margin.
“I’m proud of how our team performed today,” said head coach Andrew Carter. “We had to make a few changes in our I, II, and III Varsity Four lineups this week and that predictably had an effect but I have to give a lot of credit to the women on this squad. Despite those changes being late and unexpected, they put their heads down and did all they could to perform at their highest level. I love the commitment they have to one another and think how got stuck into it demonstrated one of the best aspects of this team.”
The Hawkeyes await their NCAA Championship fate. The field will be announced on ncaa.com on May 16 at 4 p.m. (CT).
Lineups
I Varsity Eight
Eve Stewart, Kaelynn Heiberg, Izzy Dolba, Victoria Bricker, Morgan Grastorf, Kat Tillman, Ashley Duda, Cristy Hartman, Georgia Sanderson (coxswain)
II Varsity Eight
Baillie McCunn, Danielle Bender, Hannah Greenlee, Gemma Kerr, Contessa Harold, Megan Sprengeler, Sarah Powell, Rachel Canon, Faith Wieland (coxswain)
I Four
Bianca DiBellonia, Claire Rutherford, Ashlynn Bauer, Katie Pearson, Logan Jones (coxswain)
II Four
Carly Millerd, Allison Blevins, Zora Marinkovich, Paige Schlapkohl, Elizabeth Pritchard (coxswain)
III Four
Kate Frye, Rachel Valentine, Amelia Koehn, Trisha Huerta, Lisa Morales (coxswain)
Novice I Eight
Hannah Bluder, Taylor Williams, Kathryn Kuennen, Kennedy Voss, Alysson Wittmeyer, Brittany Moore, Jordan McKeag, Paige Przybylski, Laura Justis (coxswain)
Novice II Eight
Megan Shook, Claire O’Connell, Taylor West, McKenna Wolfe, Faith Meyer, Skye Sperry, Alexis Chamness, Maya Litchfield, Gina Galaszewski (coxswain)
