Wisconsin Openweight Rowing Cracks Top 10
May 06, 2004 | Women's Rowing
The University of Wisconsin, fresh off its second-place team finish at the 2004 Big Ten Championships, reached the top 10 of the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association/USRowing Varsity Eight Poll for the first time in over four years.
Wisconsin's varsity eight of senior captains Christina Strasser and Nicole Weir, junior coxswain Beth Readfern and juniors Nikki Lennart and Julie Quoss, and sophomores Emily Simonds, Kari Harmon, Bryana Seifert and Katie Culp finished third in the marquee race at the Big Ten Championship. Wisconsin beat then-No. 7 Michigan State, but falling to then-No. 10 Michigan and then-No. 1 Ohio State.
Wisconsin climbed three spots in the polls, from No. 13 to No. 10, the second-largest jump behind No. 3 Michigan, who improved seven spots. Ohio State fell to No. 5 in the poll, while California took over the top ranking.
The No. 10 ranking for the Badgers marks the first time in over four years Wisconsin sits among the nation's top-10 crews. The last time the UW ranked No. 10 came April 12, 2000.
Wisconsin has this week off from racing before returning to the water Saturday and Sunday, May 15-16 for the South-Central regional regatta. The race, involving schools from the NCAA's South and Central regions, is the last before NCAA selections are made on Tuesday, May 18.
