May 1, 2011
Photo Gallery 
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin women’s openweight rowing team bested arch-rival Minnesota in a conference dual meet at home on Sunday morning, the first time the Badgers hosted a full varsity race on Lake Mendota since 2002.
Wisconsin won five of the six races contested on the 2,000-meter course, which ended near the Memorial Union Terrace, where over 200 fans cheered them on.
Overall, the Badgers won 45-24 against the Gophers, using the Big Ten’s scoring system.
“I’m so proud and so happy to be able to do this for our fans and to be able to do this for the Minnesota fans,” said head coach Bebe Bryans. “To see this many people here cheering for both teams – I’m just really happy we were able to pull it off.”
High winds in the forecast caused the coaches to reverse and compress the schedule, starting races 10 minutes after each other. Wisconsin won the first race of the day, the varsity eight, in 6:10.0, 4.4 seconds ahead of the Gophers’ top boat.
With the victory, the Badgers captured the inaugural Burnin’ Blade Award, a traveling trophy awarded to the varsity eight winner between the two schools. This year’s race was the first dual in an alternating home-and-home series between the border rivals.
The Badgers’ second varsity eight crew followed suit in a strong tailwind during their race. Despite that, Wisconsin finished with a time of 6:41.0 to Minnesota’s 6:50.4.
Although the sun was out, conditions on the water weren’t ideal for rowing, and Bryans says that could be a good thing.
“It was really good Midwest conditions today,” she explained. “The beauty of it was that it was rowable and it was fair. I think it’s really good prep for the Big Ten championships. Usually at Indianapolis it can be a bit rough. So both crews got good practice under racing conditions.”
The greatest margin of victory came during the second varsity fours race, which had two Wisconsin boats in it. UW’s ‘A’ boat won the event in 7:36.4, 11 seconds ahead of the Badgers’ ‘B’ boat. Minnesota finished third in 7:58.2.
Wisconsin’s varsity four and novice eight crews also won their respective races by an average of three seconds over Minnesota’s respective crews. Minnesota captured the second novice eight race for its lone victory of the day.
“We’re getting there,” said Bryans. “We’ve been able to do a little more selection, but I think that’s going to be an ongoing process.
“We made some strides today for sure.”
The Badgers will take next weekend off for final exams and to prepare for the 2011 Big Ten Championships, which are on May 15 in Indianapolis’ Eagle Park. Wisconsin is the defending champion after winning the first ever conference title in program history last season.
Wisconsin vs. Minnesota
May 1, 2011
Lake Mendota (Madison, Wis.)
2,000 meters
Varsity Eight
1. Wisconsin, 6:10.0; 2. Minnesota, 6:14.4
UW Lineup: Coxswain Jane Roberts, Jacquelyn Koykkar, Hayley Leinss, Lauren Pietila, Lisa Godhardt, Anna Schettle, Katelyn Swanson, Rachel Buchholtz, Vanessa Kleiss
Second Varsity Eight
1. Wisconsin 6:41.0; 2. Minnesota, 6:50.4
UW Lineup: Coxswain Kendall Schmidt, Amy Slesar, Briana Pittman, Rebekah Foelker, Margaret Yale, Hanna Lynch, Caitlin Mueller, Kate Mansfield, Kirsten Morelli
Varsity Four
1. Wisconsin, 7:25.0; 2. Minnesota, 7:28.0
UW Lineup: Coxswain Clare Chandler, Katherine Hanes, Shannon Schlack, Shannon Hoffman, Mollie Kryka
Second Varsity Four
1. Wisconsin A, 7:36.4; 2. Wisconsin B, 7:47.4; 3. Minnesota, 7:58.2
UW A Lineup: Coxswain Beth Swanson, Alex Opitz, Nora Boneham, Sara Watermolen, Melanie Moranski
UW B Lineup: Coxswain Soley Pitre, Rachel Kean, Carly Orwin, Julia Whittet, Alyssa Alvarez
Novice Eight
1. Wisconsin, 6:51.9; 2. Minnesota, 6:55.4
UW Lineup: Coxswain McKenzie Kirkland, Kaitlin Dunn, Kelsey Wallner, Ciera Mead, Maggie Fitzgerald, Jena Wilder, Leah Gustafson, Monica Whitehouse, Cathy Randle
Second Novice Eight
1. Minnesota, 7:14.6; 2. Wisconsin, 7:18.3; 3. Wisconsin C, 7:30.3
UW Lineup: Coxswain Elizabeth Parker, Kaitlyn Mayer, Emma Allmann, Charlotte Keleske, Sierra Fischer, Morgan Hormig, Caelainn Donnellan, Sarah Tenpas, Chelsea Sequin
UW C Lineup: Coxswain Rebekah Raupp, Ambyr Travis, Eleanore Kukla, Emily Arnett, Bethany Rieth, Jessica Thomas, Sara Lieven, Bridget Hebbard, Karen Hill
