University of Minnesota Athletics
ROWERS TO COMPETE IN FIRST MEET OF THE SPRING SEASON
4/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
The Gophers travel to Madison, Wis., for the Midwest Rowing Championships. Minnesota will be sending four boats to race this weekend. The first and second varsity eight boats will compete, as well as the first and second novice eights. The schedule for Minnesota's races will be as follows:
Boat Prelims Finals 1st Novice 8+ 8:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. 1st Varsity 8+ 10:48 a.m. 5:24 p.m. 2nd Novice 8+ no prelim 12:36 p.m. 2nd Varsity 8+ no prelim 3:48 p.m. About the Midwest Rowing Championship
The University of Wisconsin has been the site of the Midwest Rowing Championship for the past 28 years. The Wisconsin women have won the first varsity eight race in all but two years since the championship began in 1973.
The course on Lake Wingra is 1,850 meters long, starting at Wingra Park and finishing at Vilas Park.
This year's championship features 28 teams, including five teams that are currently ranked in the top 20 nationally. Big Ten competitors are No. 11 Iowa, No. 17 Wisconsin, No. 19 Michigan State, Minnesota, and Northwestern.
Slow Start to Spring Season
The Gophers will be competing in their first official race of the spring season this weekend. Races have been cancelled twice this spring due to frozen lakes. The Iowa Invitational, scheduled for March 25, was the first cancellation. Last weekend, the race scheduled between Minnesota and Creighton on Lake Phalen in St. Paul was also cancelled.
Fall Season Review
The Golden Gophers won both the Open 8+ and the Open 4+ at the Head of the Mississippi Regatta, Minnesota's debut as a varsity rowing program. Minnesota competed at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, placing sixth in the Club 8+ race. The Golden Gophers also competed at the Head of the Iowa and the Portland Regatta of Champions during the fall season.
Six student-athletes competed in all four varsity competitions during the fall season: Beth Hornby (Winnepeg, Man./Kelvin), Amber Riopel (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander), Angela Hedin (Papillion, Neb./ Papillion), Erin Streff (Canby, Minn./Canby), Nina Palmer (Roseville, Minn./Roseville Area) and coxswain Libby Sharrow (Bloomington, Minn./ Kennedy).
Up Next
Minnesota competes at the Big Ten Championships, hosted by Michigan on April 28, 2001.
