COMPLETE RESULTS  |  SUNDAY VIDEO STREAM

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin men's rowing team is happy that four of its boats will race for national championships on Sunday at the 2016 Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships.

However its varsity eight, the top boat, still has work to do in order to get back where the Badgers want to be.

"Today the great news for us is that we have six finals tomorrow, four of which are grand finals," head coach Chris Clark stated. "In other words, four races where we are going for a national championship."
Racing on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, New Jersey, on day two of the IRA national championships Saturday, the Badgers saw their second varsity eight and varsity four do what they needed to do to reach the grand finals. Those two boats join the lightweight four, which advanced directly to the grand final on Friday, and the freshmen eight, which is a final only event, in Sunday national championship races.

SECOND VARSITY EIGHT
On Saturday, the Badgers second varsity eight did something it hasn't done since 2012 – make the IRA grand final. Wisconsin put themselves in qualifying position by the midpoint of the race and grabbed hold of one of the three qualifying spots for the championship. Princeton won the semifinal in 5:35.830, with Harvard second in 5:38.930 and the Badgers third in 5:39.850. Brown was fourth, outside the top three qualifying spots, in 5:42.760.

"The second boat has emerged as by far our fastest boat," Clark remarked. "Today in the semifinal, we rowed under 5:40 which is a pretty good time. We haven't broken 5:40 in two years in any boat and now our second varsity is doing that, so that is a great start."

Close races were part of the day for the Badgers, with UW finishing on the right side of the ledger in one nail-biter, and on the wrong side in the other.

VARSITY FOUR
In the closest race of the entire championships so far, four boats finished within four-tenths of a second in Wisconsin's varsity four semifinal. The Badgers were down over the first 1000 meters to the other three crews, but pushed over the final 1000 meters as the top four boats compressed. When all the boats crossed the line, the photo showed Princeton finishing in 6:22.660, with California second in 6:22.790, the Badgers third in 6:22.990 and Harvard on the outside looking in for fourth place in 6:23.060. The top three crews from the semifinals advance to Sunday's grand final.

THIRD VARSITY EIGHT
In the third varsity eight, it was the Badgers overtaken near the line by California for the third and final championship qualifying spot.

Harvard (5:41.090) and Washington (5:41.780) were close to each other, and took the top two spots. Then California passed the Badgers near the finish and clocked 5:44.780 to make the grand final. Wisconsin was fourth in 5:45.770 and will race in Sunday's petite final for places 7-12.

"Some disappointment in the third varsity eight," Clark said. "They were certainly good enough to be in the grand final. They didn't really have the race they wanted and got edged out in the faster of the two semifinals by Cal.

"Last year we were eighth in the same event. Guys are very determined this year to finish seventh."

VARSITY EIGHT
Wisconsin's varsity eight, its top boat, will race in the D final after placing fourth in its C/D semifinal. UW timed 5:53.300 and will race Sunday for places 19-24.

"The varsity eight has continued its slide," Clark stated. "The one consolation for the all of us is that the rest of the team is doing so well.

"I've used the example of the Thunder being up 3-1 on the Warriors in the NBA. You've got these consummate professionals, some of the greatest athletes in the world. Each game was a bigger and bigger disappointment and they brought less and less of what they were supposed to bring. That is pretty much what the varsity has done.

"We've got five sophomores in there. I'd say they are leaderless, and to some extent rudderless. We will certainly try to pull it together for the final race, but once you start to lose confidence in a unit like that in a boat, it is difficult. Especially when they see the rest of the team around them doing well.

"Heavy is the head that wears the crown of the first eight. It is where the fastest boats are and the biggest competition and a lot of it is they've just tried way too hard to run with those boats."

On Sunday, Wisconsin's men will race for titles in the second varsity eight, varsity four, lightweight four and freshmen eight events.

"In none of those races did we win or advance by winning everything to get there so by no means is anything a foregone conclusion," Clark explained. "The fact is it is extremely tough to get to those grand finals and it puts us in position to compete for a national title.

"Last year we were in one grand final so going from one to four grands is great.

"I don't know how any of them will do tomorrow. It is a great start because most of them have never been in the grands before. It is really exciting to line up against five other boats and go for a national championship and possibly get a medal."

Due to expectations of poor weather, racing on Sunday for the Badger men will begin at 6:32 a.m. CT with the grand final of the second varsity eight. The Badgers will compete against Harvard, Washington, Princeton, Boston University and California in the event.

Racing for the Badgers will be completed when the varsity four races in its grand final that starts at 8:08 a.m. CT.
 
2016 Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships
Mercer Lake
West Windsor, N.J.
June 4, 2016
2000 meters

Varsity Eight
Semifinal C/D 2 (Top three to C Final, rest to D Final )
1. Cornell, 5:39.860; 2. Dartmouth, 5:43.140; 3. George Washington, 5:44.300; 4. Wisconsin, 5:53.300; 5. Temple, 5:56.600; 6. Oklahoma City, 6:00.160

UW Lineup – Coxswain James Roen, Sam Weeks, Tristan Amberger, James Lueken, Christoph Bub, Jonah Van der Weide, George Perrett, Nickolas Montalvo, Jacob Hurlbutt
 
Second Varsity Eight
Semifinal A/B 2 (Top three to Sunday Grand Final, rest to Petite Final)
1. Princeton, 5:35.830; 2. Harvard, 5:38.930; 3. Wisconsin, 5:39.850; 4. Brown, 5:42.760; 5. Northeastern, 5:45.950; 6. Columbia, 5:49.440

UW Lineup – Coxswain Ben Flaherty, Patrick Muto, Peter Ginouves, James Bernard, John Goodman, James Letten, Andrew Griffin, Michael Knippen, Michael Spankowski
 
Third Varsity Eight
Semifinal A/B 1 (Top three to Sunday Grand Final, rest to Petite Final)
1. Harvard, 5:41.090; 2. Washington, 5:41.780; 3. California, 5:44.780; 4. Wisconsin, 5:45.770; 5. Navy, 5:57.250; 6. Dartmouth, 6:03.430
 
UW Lineup – Coxswain Michael Callahan, John Hollow, David McClain, Laing Wise, Erik Kernozek, Mark Nitka, Alex Idarraga, Andrew Flannery, Theodore Boesen
 
Varsity Four
Semifinal A/B 1 (Top three to Sunday Grand Final, rest to Petite Final)
1. Princeton, 6:22.660; 2. California, 6:22.790; 3. Wisconsin, 6:22.990; 4. Harvard, 6:23.060; 5. Georgetown, 6:32.780; 6. Pennsylvania, 6:35.120

UW Lineup – Coxswain Andrew Hamilton, Graham Mink, Alexander Butler, John French, Zach Ruedinger