Gopher Rowing Wins Varsity Eights and First Varsity Fours Against Big Ten Opponents The University of Minnesota rowing team earned wins over Iowa and Wisconsin in the First Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight and First Varsity Four, today, in a double dual at Lake Phalen in St. Paul, Minn.
The
University of
Minnesota rowing team earned wins over
Iowa
and
Wisconsin
in the First Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight and First Varsity Four, today, in a double dual at
Lake
Phalen in
St. Paul, Minn. In all, the Gophers won eight races in 12 events contested.
All three of the Gophers’ First and Second Varsity Eight and the First Varsity Four dominated the event, winning all six races. The Gophers’ 1V8 of coxswain Megan Flannery, Laura Jatautaite at stroke, Cheryl Wick, Jenny Barnes, Erika Bartkute, Vilma Stragyte, Sally Olson, Berit Tomten and Jenna Buskohl at bow crossed the finish line with a time of 6:40.92 to
Iowa
’s time of 6:49.24. The Gophers then followed with a win over
Wisconsin
in the afternoon session. The Maroon and Gold held a commanding lead throughout the race, jumping out to nearly a boat-length lead in the first 250 meters of the race. The Gophers finished with a time of 6:23.81, nearly nine seconds ahead of the Badgers in 6:32.36.
“This was really the first big race where we’ve been ranked higher then our opponents and I was interested to see how we were going to handle that,” Head coach Wendy
Davis
said. “We’ve always been the spoiler and now was the time that we needed to take care of business and thankfully we did. We had just faced
Iowa
two weeks ago and we knew that as long as we did everything right, that we could win that race.
Wisconsin
was really the big unknown because they haven’t raced that much this year. I have to give Wisconsin credit because we were up almost four seconds in the first 500 and then we gained only a little more then four in the rest of the 1,500 meters so Wisconsin really hung tough with us and that shows a lot of character.”
The Gophers’ Second Varsity Eight dominated its races over
Iowa
in the morning round and
Wisconsin
in the afternoon session. The Gophers’ boat of coxswain Kaja Tally, Mary Ann Weinzierl at stroke, Christine O’Donnell, Maggie Armstrong, Catherine Casey, Ashley Vilmo, Sarah Graham, Heidi Bechtel and Katie Johnson earned a 14-second win over the Hawkeyes with a finishing time of 6:51.62 to
Iowa
’s 7:05.63. The Gophers jumped out to a quick lead against the Badgers in the afternoon session and held the lead the entire time.
Minnesota
bettered its morning time to 6:50.93, while
Wisconsin
clocked a time of 7:05.17, also a 14-second win.
“Our 2V8 is looking really good and I’m very proud of what they are doing,”
Davis
said. “I think they are going to be a force to be reckoned with for the rest of the spring season.”
The Gophers continued their success with impressive times in the 1V4. The Gophers cruised to a 30-second win over the Hawkeyes with a time of 7:40.98 to
Iowa
’s 8:11.23.
Minnesota
’s boat of Erica Niemiec as coxswain, Lauren Van Proosdy at stroke, Becky Brzozowski, Rachel Hotkowski and Emily Baxter earned a 12-second win over the Badgers with a time of 7:32.50 to 7:44.52.
“Our Varsity Four looked great today,”
Davis
said. “They are still trying to figure a few things out, but they are walking all over people right now. We’re excited to see them do so well and it’s a great thing to see.”
The Gophers’ Second Varsity Four finished second behind
Wisconsin
in both the morning and afternoon session.
Minnesota
’s shell of coxswains Renee Schirmer (raced in the morning session) and Alanna Hjortland (afternoon), Tracey Tallman, Angela Reesman, Lisa Pugh and Erin Desmond held times of 7:44.28 and 7:47.04. The Badgers, however, earned times of 7:38.67 and 7:43.93 to win the races, while
Iowa
placed third in 8:03.17 and 8:32.76.
The Gophers also raced in a Varsity Eight race against Drake today.
Minnesota
’s boat of Schirmer, Katie Simpson, Liz Ponder, Ali Fisher, Jessica Veit, Lindsay Kamp, Stephanie Bakkum, Anna Boyer and Erin Desmond at bow won the race in a time of 6:54.74. The Bulldogs finished in a time of 6:58.13.
Minnesota
’s First Novice Eight split its action today with a win over
Iowa
, but fell to
Wisconsin
in the afternoon round. The Gophers’ boat of Jayme Lehman, Michele Peterson, Jessica Norman, Abby Tomasek, Jenna Schuder, Christine Cira, Brenna Galvin, Taylor Kimbel and Michelle Murphy at bow defeated
Iowa
with a time of 6:50.40 to 6:53.07. The Gophers crossed the line with a time of 7:04.36, but the Badgers won the race in a time of 6:59.90.
The Gophers’ Second Novice Eight fell in both races to Big Ten competition today. The Hawkeyes just edged the Gophers in the morning round with a time of 7:15.65 to the Gophers’ 7:17.45. The Maroon and Gold chipped in a time of 7:25.63, but
Wisconsin
won the afternoon race in a time of 7:12.58. In the Gophers’ boat was Ariel Rydeen, Megan Lenarz, Meredith Lee, Katelyn Nichols in the sixth seat, Kate Lindgren, Katie Jones, Megan McClanahan, Amanda Schutte and Monika Folker at bow.
The Gophers will compete in their final tune-up before the Big Ten Championships next weekend when they host
Kansas
, April 22. The race is a dual against the Jayhawks and is scheduled to begin at Following the dual race,
Minnesota
will compete at the Big Ten Championships, April 28 in
