University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Finish Sixth at Big Ten Championships
5/2/2009 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
The University of Minnesota rowing team finished sixth at the 2009 Big Ten Championships, held today in Columbus, Ohio. The Golden Gophers scored 59 points, while Michigan State won its second-straight Big Ten Championship with 137 points. Minnesota was just one point out of fifth place as Iowa finished ahead of the Gophers with 60 points.
Lisa Pugh earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, while Ashlee Vilmo was named a second-team All-Big Ten selection. Tina Cho was the Gophers’ representative in the Sportsmanship Award.
The Gophers placed second in the First Varsity Eight Petite Final. Minnesota, seeded sixth, had to race against No. 3 Michigan State and No. 4 Michigan State. The Wolverines won the heat in a time of 6:09.913, while the Spartans placed second in 6:13.577. Minnesota followed in third (6:21.533). Competing in the Petite Final, Minnesota finished less than a second behind final winner Iowa. The Hawkeyes won the race in 6:18.872, while the Gophers added a time of 6:19.726. In the Gopher 1V8 was Pugh at stroke, Katherine Johnson, Vilmo, Stephanie Bakkum, Lucy Mulvey, Jenna Schuder, Sarah Graham and Cassie Drozynski at bow with coxswain Erica Niemiec.
The Gophers finished second in the Second Varsity Eight Petite Final. Minnesota chipped in a heat time of 6:28.665, which placed them in the Petite Final. In the Gophers’ 2V8 was coxswain Ilana Ostrin, Emily Baxter, Rebekah Brzozowski, Allison Fisher, Tina Cho, Krsytal Arbery, Debbie Brzozowski, Sarah Krueger and Molly Kalmoe at bow and finished second in the finals (6:38.160).
The Gophers made the Grand Final in the Varsity Four competition. Minnesota’s 1V4 of Monika Folker (coxswain), Emily Johnson Teresa Logemann, Tracy Merth and Kate Ladell at bow finished second in their respective heat in 6:59.696. With the boat advancing to the Grand Final, Minnesota crossed the finish line in third (7:04.328), while OSU won it in 7:00.140.
Minnesota won the Petite Final in the Second Varsity Four competition. The Gophers held a heat time of 7:09.191. After their morning race, the Gophers’ boat of coxswain Linnea Trandem, Megan Lenarz, Alyssa Kast, Michelle Murphy and Christine Cira at bow won the Petite Final in 7:06.982.
Minnesota won the Petite Final in the First Novice Eight. In their morning heat, Minnesota finished with a time of 6:36.635 in a tough heat of Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana. Competing in the Petite Final, the 1N8 of Quinn Anderson at stroke, Courtney Podritz, Caitlin Boon, Erika Berg, Allison Fast, Emma Porter, Kristin Anderson, Grace Lorig at bow with Stephanie Shodis coxswaining earned three points towards the Gophers’ total with a time of 6:36.95.
Minnesota also finished second in the Second Novice Eight Petite Final. In their morning heat, Minnesota clocked a fourth-place heat time of 6:52.616. The Gophers’ 2N8 of coxswain Sara Baldvins, Madeline Etrheim at stroke, Tori Lund, Maddy Bourgeois, Leah Rogotzke, Yasmin Khan, Hannah Okray, Laura Salzman and Aileen Flynn at bow finished second in the Petite Final with a time of 6:47.151. Ohio State won the event in 6:45.805.
"Obviously we wanted to finish higher than sixth, but the Big Ten Conference is one of the strongest in the nation this year," head coach Wendy Davis said. "With six teams Big Ten teams ranked nationally, we knew that we would face tough competition today. Big Tens was a great stepping stone to where we need to be in two weeks to get ready for the South/Central Sprints. We'll use this next week and get ready for regional competition and we hope to come out a much stronger team in two weeks."
Minnesota is idle next week and will compete at the Aramark South/Central Sprints, May 16-17 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The Gophers will have the 1V8, 2V8 and Varsity Four compete at regional action. The University of Tennessee will serve as the host institution.
2009 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Griggs Reservoir, Columbus, Ohio
May 2, 2009
Team Standings Points
1. Michigan State 137
2. Michigan 126
3. Ohio State 123
4. Wisconsin 113
5. Iowa 60
6. Minnesota 59
7. Indiana 24
Players Mentioned
