University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Rowing First Varsity Eight Defeats Wisconsin and Iowa
4/20/2002 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
The Gophers won the first Varsity Eight race, defeating Wisconsin, 7:03.88 to the Badgers' time of 7:05.30. In the afternoon session, the Gophers took first place against 18th-ranked Iowa, 6:59.9 to 7:00.9. The winning boat consisted of captain Libby Sharrow at coxswain, Beth Hornby, Melissa Roche, Heidi Rose, Erin Streff, Shelley Miller, Jill Peters, Jackie Gagner and Amber Riopel.
"Both of the Wisconsin and Iowa teams are well established and have been in the top 20 all season long," Gopher coach Wendy Davis said. "In the fall, we beat Iowa in its fall race, ut they had a number of injuries at taht time. At that same race, we were 10 seconds behind Wisconsin. We felt that if we trained just right during the winter, we would catch up to Iowa and beat Wisconsin. This sets us up to be ranked fourth in the Big Ten, which is a major accomplishment for the newest Big Ten rowing program."
The second Varsity Eight boat finished in second place to both Wisconsin and Iowa. Minnesota's second varsity boat contained coxswain Sarah Gleason, Patricia Whitney, Kathryn Frankson, Jessica Nelson, Sam Wangsgard, Angela Hedin, Vicki Haight, Mariel Gartner and Emily MacCormick.
The Gophers also competed in Varsity Four competition, with the Gophers coming away with three of four possible first-place finishes. In the morning session, the first Varsity Four fell to Wisconsin, but came back in the afternoon session and took first place against the Hawkeyes. Katie Testin was at coxswain, followed by Nina Palmer, Anna Bartels, Alison Zylstra and Lauren Frana. The Gophers also had another Varsity 4+ boat compete. The boat consisting of Ashley Carpenter, Katie Nelson, Katie Douglas, Holly Pearson and Elyse Christenson defeated Michigan State in both sessions.
The novice squad finished first in three of four races. The Gophers first Novice Eight team fell to second against Wisconsin in the morning race, but defeated Iowa in the afternoon competition. Jane Crawford was at coxswain, along with Sarah Underahl, Ashley Arndt, Katie Thurstin, Shandi Hanevik, Beth Ratterman, Jessi Johnson, Kirsten Kosloske and Samantha Schwartz. The Gophers had another Novice Eight action, with Minnesota claiming two first-place finishes. Ashley Carpenter, Jessica Pfeffer, Stacy Compton, Lida Storch, Kelly Underwood, Taylor Miller, Lora Sweezy, Jessica Wichmann and Jennifer Quade won both events.
The Novice 4+ finished in third in a three-team competition, with Wisconsin and Michigan State coming in at first and second. Heather Anderson was at coxswain along with Andrea Pierce, Carly Dreher, Rebecca Coleman and Jennifer Ahlbrecht.
Next action for the rowing team will be at the Midwest Sprints, April 27 at Madison, Wis.
Morning session Varsity Eight 1. Minnesota, 7:03.88 2. Wisconsin, 7:05.30 Second Varsity Eight 1. Wisconsin, 7:08.4 2. Minnesota, 7:16.1 Varsity Four 1. Wisconsin, 7:54.5 2. Minnesota, 8:14.3 Novice Eight 1. Wisconsin, 7:25.5 2. Minnesota, 7:31.3 Second Novice Eight 1. Minnesota, 7:42.3 2. Wisconsin, 7:50.0 Afternoon Session First Varsity Eight 1. Minnesota, 6:59.9 2. Iowa, 7:00.9 Second Varsity Eight 1. Iowa, 7:19.0 2. Minnesota, 7:23 First Varsity Four 1. Minnesota, 8:21 2. Iowa, 8:42 Second Varsity Four 1. Minnesota, 8:07 2. Michigan State, 8:12 First Novice Eight 1. Minnesota, 7:39 2. Iowa, 7:45 Second Novice Eight 1. Minnesota, 7:56 2. Iowa, 8:19 Novice Four 1. Wisconsin, 8:24 2. Michigan State, 8:34 3. Minnesota, 8:54
