University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Gear Up for B1G Week
5/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
By Rachel Timmerman
After the hardest time of the school year, the University of Minnesota women's rowers will head to Indianapolis to face the hardest part of their season -- the Big Ten Championships.
On May 16-17, the women will put their season on the line and compete against a tough Big Ten field.
After not seeing much time on the water last year, the team said this season was a considerable improvement.
"Compared to last season, we've been having a really solid [season]," senior Lynn Hodnett said. "We've been able to take advantage of the water, starting early, and once we got on the water we stayed there. That has made all the difference."
Head coach Wendy Davis said the team has done a great job of progressing its speed over the course of the season.
"The boats have gotten faster, but our 1v8 has gotten a lot faster. So I'm really looking forward to seeing what they can do next Saturday and Sunday," Coach Davis said.
Coach Davis has high expectations for her team, but they're not unrealistic.
"We're not going to win the Big Ten Championships," Coach Davis said. "What I really want for our team is for them to do what they're capable of and know that they completely left everything they could do on the line."
In order to keep their season alive, assistant coach Cassie Drozynski said it's critical that the team comes in fourth place to advance to the NCAA Championships.
"Get to the NCAA's, that's always the goal," Coach Drozynski said. "This is our chance -- if we don't do well at this race then we won't go to NCAA's and our season is over."
Heading into Big Tens, the Gophers haven't competed against all the teams they'll face next week, but Coach Davis doesn't think that will affect their performance.
"The thing about racing sports, it's not like we can plan a defense against them," Coach Davis said. "We can do nothing to slow them down or get them off their game. All we can do is make sure we're focused on ourselves and our boat."
With finals ending right before the team competes, Hodnett says she's just trying not to get too overwhelmed.
"It's really tough having finals week and then leave to do the most important race of your entire season," Hodnett said. "Other races have been practice races for this race."
Coach Drozynski, a former Gopher rower, understands the stress the team is facing during this time of the year.
"It's a huge stress on them in the rowing world, [and] they have finals," Coach Drozynski said. "Although I'm sure they're freaking out, they're handling it beautifully."
Hodnett says the team is the most calm it's been in a while before going into Big Tens, and hopes to keep that mentality going into next week.
"Something that we've been working on is staying calm and executing the moves," junior coxswain Taylor Gainey said. "That's the big thing we want to do, rowing the race we know how to row."
Rowing in her last Big Ten Championship and possibly her last race, Hodnett is hoping for a good ending to her senior season.
"I want to leave Indianapolis knowing that as a team we did the best that we possibly could," Hodnett said. "Whatever place that is, I don't think I can have any regrets as long as I know that everyone pulled their hearts out."
Players Mentioned
