April 10, 2010

SOLON, Iowa – The No. 11 Wisconsin women’s openweight rowing team won nine of 12 races against Iowa, Minnesota and Louisville at the Big Ten Double Dual hosted by the Hawkeyes in Solon, Iowa, on Saturday.

On the 1,500-meter course on Lake Macbride, the Badgers’ first and second novice eight boats combined for four first-place finishes, while the varsity four and the second varsity eight each added two firsts to UW’s resume. The varsity eight also posted one victory for the Badgers. Wisconsin took second in each of its remaining three races.

Wisconsin’s most convincing victory of the day saw the first novice eight boat clock a 7:22.4 to defeat Louisville by 44.8 seconds as the Cardinals finished the race in 8:07.2.

The Badgers’ varsity four also recorded an impressive victory over Louisville. UW finished in 7:75.4, while the Cardinals clocked a time of 8:40.9.

UW’s second novice eight posted two solid victories over Minnesota and Iowa. In the morning race featuring the three Big Ten rivals, Wisconsin clocked a 7:31.3 to defeat second-place Minnesota (8:04.6) by 33.3 seconds. The Hawkeyes took third in 9:00.8.

The afternoon race between the three saw the Badgers finish in 7:56.5. The Gophers were second in 8:28.9, and Iowa came in third (8:40.6).

In head-to-head competition, Wisconsin defeated Iowa, 52-26, and bested Louisville, 31-29. Minnesota narrowly defeated Wisconsin by a score of 10-8. The Big Ten Double Dual scoring system is listed below.

Wisconsin's lineups and results are also listed below.

For additional information on the Big Ten Double Dual, including complete coverage of all races, please visit www.hawkeyesports.com.

Next weekend, the Badgers will travel to Gold River, Calif., for the Lake Natoma Invitational. Members of the novice openweight squad will remain in Madison for an exhibition race against Minnesota on April 17.

Big Ten Double Dual Results
Second Novice Eight vs. Iowa, Minnesota
1. Wisconsin 7:31.3; 2. Minnesota 8:04.6; 3. Iowa 9:00.8
UW Lineup: Coxswain Abigail Bitter, Katherine Hanes, Melanie Moranski, Caroline Robbins, Alyssa Alvarez, Kelly Hurtis, Catherine Yeksigian, Jennifer Marchuk, Jessica Baldwin

First Novice Eight vs. Louisville
1. Wisconsin 7:22.4; 2. Louisville 8:07.2
UW Lineup: Coxswain Kendall Schmidt, Brenna Van Maren, Julia Whittet, Hanna Lynch, Jacquelyn Koykkar, Katelyn Swanson, Amy Slesar, Mollie Kryka, Lauren Peitila

Second Varsity Four vs. Iowa, Minnesota
1. Minnesota 8:04.4; 2. Wisconsin 8:07.2; 3. Iowa 8:33.7
UW Lineup: Coxswain Beth Swanson, Alex Opitz, Shannon Schlack, Shannon Hoffman, Meghan Khoury

Varsity Four vs. Louisville
1. Wisconsin 7:57.4; 2. Louisville 8:40.9
UW Lineup: Coxswain Jane Roberts, Hayley Leinss, Bronwyn Knaebe, Margaret Yale, Kirsten Rhude

Second Varsity Eight vs. Louisville
1. Wisconsin 7:13.8; 2. Louisville 7:39.2
UW Lineup:  Coxswain Molly Evjen, Sarah Bootsma, Vanessa Kleiss, Meryl Chaffee, Kate Mansfield, Caitlin Mueller, Kirsten Morelli, Anna Schettle, Katie Hurtis

Varsity Eight vs. Louisville
1. Louisville 7:16.9; 2. Wisconsin 7:20.2
UW Lineup: Coxswain Sarah Obernauer, Ahna Olson, Briana Pittman, Grace Latz, Vicky Opitz, Lisa Godhardt, Rachel Buchholtz, Rebekah Foelker, Katy Haver

Second Novice Eight vs. Minnesota, Iowa
1. Wisconsin 7:56.5; 2. Minnesota 8:28.9; 3. Iowa 8:40.6
UW Lineup: Coxswain Abigail Bitter, Katherine Hanes, Melanie Moranski, Caroline Robbins, Alyssa Alvarez, Catherine Yeksigian, Rachel Kean, Jennifer Marchuk, Jessica Baldwin

First Novice Eight vs. Iowa
1. Wisconsin 7:35.7; 2. Iowa 7:44.6
UW Lineup: Coxswain Kendall Schmidt, Brenna Van Maren, Julia Whittet, Hanna Lynch, Jacquelyn Koykkar, Katelyn Swanson, Amy Slesar, Mollie Kryka, Lauren Peitila

Second Varsity Four vs. Minnesota, Iowa
1. Minnesota 8:10.0; 2. Wisconsin 8:16.0; 3. Iowa 8:49.5
UW Lineup: Coxswain Beth Swanson, Alex Opitz, Rachel Stern, Sara Watermolen, Shannon Schlack

Varsity Four vs. Iowa
1. Wisconsin 8:05.1; 2. Iowa 8:27.3
UW Lineup: Coxswain Jane Roberts, Hayley Leinss, Bronwyn Knaebe, Margaret Yale, Kirsten Rhude

Second Varsity Eight vs. Iowa
1. Wisconsin 7:08.1; 2. Iowa 7:22.2
UW Lineup: Coxswain Molly Evjen, Sarah Bootsma, Vanessa Kleiss, Meryl Chaffee, Kate Mansfield, Caitlin Mueller, Kirsten Morelli, Anna Schettle, Katie Hurtis

Varsity Eight vs. Iowa
1. Wisconsin 6:55.7; 2. Iowa 7:00.3
UW Lineup: Coxswain Sarah Obernauer, Ahna Olson, Briana Pittman, Grace Latz, Vicky Opitz, Lisa Godhardt, Rachel Buchholtz, Rebekah Foelker, Katy Haver

Scoring for Big Ten Double Dual competition is follows:
18 points for winning 1V8 boat; 9 points for second-place 1V8 boat
12 points for winning 2V8 boat; 6 points for second-place 2V8 boat
6 points for winning 1V4 boat; 3 points for second-place 1V4 boat
4 points for winning 2V4 boat; 2 points for second-place 2V4 boat
4 points for winning 1N8 boat; 2 points for second-place 1N8 boat
2 points for winning 2N8 boat; 1 point for second-place 2N8 boat

*The winner of the 1V8 boat shall serve as the tiebreaker.

*The following boats must be filled: 1V8, 2V8, 1V4, 2V4. There shall be no penalty assessed to a team that does not bring a 2N8 boat.

*If three of the four competitors bring 2N8 boats, scoring shall be done by comparing the head-to-head results with the two other teams.