UW Lightweights Take Third-Straight National Title
June 03, 2006 | Lightweight Rowing
The No. 1 Wisconsin women's lightweight eight appeared to leave the door open on Friday during the heats for a new national champion, but the Badgers slammed the door Saturday with their third consecutive title at the 2006 Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships. Racing took place on the Cooper River in Camden, N.J.
Making up the UW national championship crew were coxswain Erin Specht (Verona, Wis.), Kristin Hedstrom (Concord, Mass.), Margot Schoelkopf (Concord, Mass.), Andrea Ryan (Seattle), Anaya Drew (Seattle), Mary Higgins (Alexandria, Va.), Claire Wallace (McLean, Va.), Christi Halleen (Madison, Wis.) and Candice Hansey (Oregon, Wis.). Coach Mary Shofner directed the crew.
The UW's path to its third title was a bit unorthodox. On Friday, the top-ranked Badgers finished third in their morning heat to Princeton and Central Florida and dropped into the repechage heats with one last chance to make the grand final. Wisconsin cruised to the repechage victory Friday afternoon to make the final, then won relatively comfortably on Saturday for the three-peat.
Wisconsin raced a 6:46.51 over 2000 meters to earn the victory today. Georgetown's 6:50.12 was good enough for second place, outdistancing tradition powers in third-place Radcliffe and fourth-place Princeton. The Crimson clocked a 6:54.25, while the Tigers time of 6:57.08 was nearly 11 seconds off the Badgers' winning pace.
