April 10, 2010
Redwood City, Calif. – The No. 1 Wisconsin women’s lightweight rowing team competed in the first day of racing at the Stanford Invitational on Saturday. The varsity eight defeated Stanford and Princeton while the second varsity eight beat Stanford’s openweight novice eight and the Cardinal second varsity eight.
“I'm proud of the effort our whole team put in today and the performances they had against Princeton and Stanford, which are two of the best programs in the country,” head coach Erik Miller reported. “I'm really pleased at the way we've started our season. We've had four races today in California and four victories, so it is hard to do much more than that.”
The Badgers’ first varsity eight defeated Stanford in the first race of the day, clocking in at 7:11.2. Stanford finished in 7:19.9. UW found a steady rhythm after the first 750 meters and slowly pulled away from the Cardinal.
“I'm happy with the way the team raced this morning,” Miller said. “We've put in a lot of time on the ergs this winter to get ready for the racing season, and the team was excited to get started. We did not have an ideal week of training leading up to this regatta due to the weather in Madison, but the team came out ready to race and performed quite well.”
Wisconsin’s second varsity eight defeated Stanford’s novice openweight eight boat in the second morning race.
“This was a tight battle all the way down the course,” Miller reported. “I don't think there was ever any open water between the crews, and the Badgers stayed long, strong and consistent all the way down the course.”
The afternoon racing saw the Badgers pick up victories over Princeton and Stanford. The first varsity eight boat clocked a time of 7:19.0 to defeat Princeton by 2.8 seconds as the Tigers finished in 7:21.8.
“Racing went well this afternoon,” Miller said. “Princeton had a strong sprint, but it was not enough to catch the Badgers. We made some good technical changes from this morning and rowed a strong race, but there are still a lot of things to work on to improve our speed as the season progresses.”
Wisconsin’s second varsity eight also had a successful afternoon race. UW defeated Stanford by 8.2 seconds as the Badgers finished in 8:10.4. Stanford clocked in at 8:18.6.
“The second varsity eight rowed another strong aggressive race,” Miller reported. “Our 2V8 did a great job today of dealing with a bit of adversity. They had to row a new lineup today, and they rowed in different boats for each of their races. But they weren't fazed a bit by it and got down to business on the water.”
The Badgers’ second varsity eight had to change its lineup this morning after the squad was not able to use the boat it initially planned. UW switched from starboard-stroke lineup to port-stroke, and the boat adapted to the changes well, Miller explained.
Senior Adrienne Winfield debuted as a coxswain in the second varsity eight boat in today’s races. Winfield was a rower in Wisconsin’s IRA national championship boat last season and helped the Badgers win the Head of the Charles last fall. However, she was injured and unable to continue rowing.
“Adrienne really wanted to keep herself involved and contribute to the team, so she volunteered to be a coxswain,” Miller said. “Today was her first race, and she did a fantastic job.”
The Badgers conclude competition at the Stanford Invitational on Sunday. The first varsity eight will take on Santa Clara at 9:10 a.m. followed by the second varsity eight race against Princeton at 9:30 a.m.
The novice lightweight rowers raced in the first day of the Knecht Cup in Camden, N.J., today, while the Badger openweight rowers took on Iowa and Louisville in the Big Ten Double Dual.
Saturday’s Results
First Varsity Eight vs. Stanford LW 1V8
1. Wisconsin 7:11.2; 2. Stanford 7:19.9
UW LW 1V8 Lineup: Coxswain Shelly Miller, Dani Dewitt, Katherine Fink, Sarah Padway, Kaela Erickson, Gabrielle Waclawik, Grace Lautman, Mia Cava, Amanda Montgomery
Second Varsity Eight vs. Stanford Openweight 1N8
1. Wisconsin 7:39.3; 2. Stanford 7:40.1
UW LW2V8 Lineup: Coxswain Adrienne Winfield, Elise Ganser, Johanna Brady, Erin Wylie, Breanne Lynch, Kate Ludwig, Emily Jayne, Margaret Debrauske, Molly Arthur
First Varsity Eight vs. Princeton 1V8
1. Wisconsin 7:19.0; 2. Princeton 7:21.8
UW LW 1V8 Lineup: Coxswain Shelly Miller, Dani Dewitt, Katherine Fink, Sarah Padway, Kaela Erickson, Gabrielle Waclawik, Grace Lautman, Mia Cava, Amanda Montgomery
Second Varsity Eight vs. Stanford 2V8
1. Wisconsin 8:10.4; 2. Stanford 8:18.6
UW LW2V8 Lineup: Coxswain Adrienne Winfield, Elise Ganser, Johanna Brady, Erin Wylie, Breanne Lynch, Kate Ludwig, Emily Jayne, Margaret Debrauske, Molly Arthur
Sunday’s Schedule
9:10 First Varsity Eight vs. Santa Clara Openweight 1V8
9:30 Second Varsity Eight vs. Princeton Lightweight 2V8
*Today’s regatta was previously listed incorrectly as the Windermere Cup. The regatta is called the Stanford Invitational.
