Wisconsin Third at Big Ten Rowing
April 30, 2005 | Women's Rowing
Titles in the second varsity four and second novice eight helped the Badger women's openweights secure a third-place finish at the 2005 Big Ten Rowing Championship on Lake Lemon, Saturday. The Badgers also finished second in the varsity four, third in the second varsity eight and fourth in the varsity eight and novice eight events.
In the final team results, Michigan State's 130 points won the team title, winning by just one point over Ohio State. Wisconsin earned 106 points for third, edging Michigan by three points.
The Badgers jumped out to an early lead at the championship after winning their sixth-straight Big Ten title in the second novice eight. The victory gave Wisconsin a one-point lead over Ohio State.
Wisconsin fell into third after a fourth-place result in the novice eight, but climbed into a share of second after winning the second varsity four. The Badgers took the lead with a second-place result in the varsity four. The Badgers held first with 40 points, but Michigan and Minnesota held 34 points, Ohio State 33 points and Michigan State 31 points.
Wisconsin placed third in the second varsity eight and sat in second place heading into the final race of the day, the varsity eight. Ohio State had 75 points, while the Badgers had 70, Michigan State 67 and Michigan 58. With a separation of nine points between each place in the varsity eight, OSU, UW and MSU each had a chance to win the title.
When all was said and done, Michigan State won the final race and took the team title by one point over Ohio State, which placed second in the varsity eight. Wisconsin, which finished fourth in the varsity four, finsihed 24 points out of the lead in third place. Michigan, ranked No. 3 in the country heading into the weekend, placed third in the varsity eight, but fourth in the team competition.
Wisconsin has one last chance to make its case for inclusion in the 2005 NCAA Rowing Championships at the end of May. The Badgers compete in the NCAA Central/Southern Regional on May 14-15 in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
