The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Michigan
No. 1 Rowing preview: at No. 6 Michigan
04.08.2022 | Rowing
Texas heads to Ann Arbor for the second-straight year.
AUSTIN, Texas – No. 1 Texas Rowing travels to Michigan to face the sixth-ranked Wolverines on Saturday, April 9. The teams will compete head-to-head in four events over a 2,000-meter course on Belleville Lake, racing in the first and second eight boats, and the first and second four boats.
This weekend's trip will mark the second consecutive year in which the Longhorns journey to The Great Lakes State. In last year's meeting, the Longhorns swept Michigan in all four races with each boat taking control of the race in the first 500m and extending the lead throughout the course.
When: Saturday, April 9
Where: Belleville Lake, Belleville, Mich.
Live Stream: Races will stream on the Michigan Instagram account at @umichrowing.
Results: Results will be available on Twitter at @TexasRowing.
Schedule
Saturday, April 9
8 a.m. CT (9 a.m. ET) – Second Four
Lane 1: Texas
Lane 2: Michigan
8:16 a.m. CT (9:16 a.m. ET) – First Four
Lane 1: Michigan
Lane 2: Texas
8:32 a.m. CT (9:32 a.m. ET) – Second Eight
Lane 1: Texas
Lane 2: Michigan
8:48 a.m. CT (9:48 a.m. ET) – First Eight
Line 1: Michigan
Lane 2: Texas
A Look at the Wolverines
Michigan opened the spring schedule last weekend in Columbus, Ohio, as part of the B1G-ACC Challenge. Competing Virginia and Duke, currently ranked 10th and 11th, respectively, on the CRCA Coaches Poll, the Wolverines swept the First Eight, First Four and Second Four events, while splitting the Third Four.
The two-time defending Big Ten Champion Wolverines placed fourth at the 2021 NCAA Championships, collecting 108 points with a fourth-place result in the First Eight Grand Final, sixth-place finishes in the Second Eight and Fours Grand Finals.
Last Time Out
Texas swept through the prestigious San Diego Crew Classic on March 26-27 on the Fiesta Bay-Crown Point Shores of Mission Bay Park. Racing against many of the top-ranked programs in the country, including Pac-12 powerhouses No. 3 Washington, No. 9 California and No. 16 USC, the Longhorns remained unbeaten through the first two competitions of the season after winning both the heats and finals races of the Collegiate Varsity Jessop-Whittier Cup Invitational (First Eight), Collegiate 2V Jackie Ann Stitt Hungness Trophy (Second Eight), Collegiate Varsity 4+ Karen Plumleigh Cortney Cup (First Four), and Women's Open 8+ (Third Eight).
Conference Honors
Third Varsity Eight earned a share of the Big 12 Boat of the Week honors, splitting votes with Tennessee's First Eight to collect the program's first weekly conference award of the season following a dominant weekend at the San Diego Crew Classic.
The Texas 3V8 won the Carley Copley Cup on Sunday at the San Diego Crew Classic. Featuring four freshmen racing in the prestigious San Diego event for the first time, UT won both its preliminary heat race and the championship final. During the final, the Longhorns were dead-even with California at the 600-meter mark when they caught a boat stopping crab (when a rower loses control of their oar). The crew fought back to win by open water with a time of 6:49.724, 5.345 seconds ahead of the Golden Bears. During their heat race the previous afternoon, the Longhorns won in impressive fashion, registering a time of 6:41.124 and defeating California by 6.863 seconds.
Texas' III Eight featured sophomore coxswain Elizabeth Romero, along with junior Jane McGee, junior Rachel Craycroft, freshman Taryn Kooyers, freshman Andrijana Mijailovic, freshman Harriet Wallace, freshman Nadja Yaroschuk, senior Susanna Cassidy and junior Grace Edgar.
A Look at the Longhorns
The defending national champion and six-time defending Big 12 Conference champion Longhorns return four student-athletes who earned CRCA All-American recognition following last year's title run. Rowers Aspa Christodoulidis, Kaitlin Knifton, Francesca Raggi and coxswain Rachel Rane lead the way for Texas, as well as 2021 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Anna Jensen. All five were integral members of the Texas First Varsity Eight that powered past Stanford and Washington over the final 750 meters of the Grand Final to capture the first title in program history.
All told, 15 of the 20 rowers and all three coxswains who competed in the 2021 National Championship regatta are back in the fold.
Also returning from last year's champion First Eight boat are Lisa Gutfleisch and Susanna Temming, while returners from the Second Eight crew will be rowers Katelyn Bouthillette, Amber Harwood, Parker Illingworth, Hannah Medcalf, and Samantha Schalk and coxswain Elizabeth Romero. Back from the Four is coxswain Olivia Fogarty and rowers Marlowe Eldridge, Cassandre Korvink-Kucinski and Lanie Nitsch.
Longhorns Start Fast
In their first competition of the season, the Longhorns traveled to Dallas for a two-day contest against the then 13th-ranked SMU Mustangs at White Rock Lake. Texas swept all six races, with the First Eight, Second Eight and Four claiming victories on each day of the trip. For the First Eight, the two victories extended the unbeaten streak for the boat to 10-straight races. The Second Eight was dominant in both of their races, taking charge from the start of each and extending their lead throughout. Texas' Four got out fast in their first race and won by 14.49 seconds, then overcame an early deficit on the second day and eventually pulled away for a win by 18.8 seconds.
Texas in the Polls
The Longhorns opened the season as No. 1 in the 2022 Preseason Pocock Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) Women's Rowing Poll and have maintained the position throughout the season. Texas claimed 23 of the 25 first-place votes in this week's ranking and has held the top spot for seven consecutive polls.
Yale sits second in this week's rankings, while California came in at No. 3. Stanford, the runner-up in the team standings at the 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Rowing Championships, ranks fourth and received the other two first-place votes, while Princeton rounds out the top five.
Pocock CRCA Coaches Poll Division I Rankings – Week 4 (April 6)
1. TEXAS (23)
2. Yale
3. California
4. Stanford (2)
5. Princeton
6. Michigan
7. Brown
8. Washington
9. Ohio State
10. Virginia
11. Duke
12. USC
13. Rutgers
14. Syracuse
15. Penn
16. SMU
17. Tennessee
18. Oregon State
19. Alabama
20. Indiana
Championship Pedigree
Texas has registered top-eight results in each of the last six NCAA Championship Regattas with program-best results in five, including each of the last four:
2021 – 1st
2020 – No regatta
2019 – 2nd
2018 – 3rd
2017 – 4th
2016 – 8th
2015 – 7th
Defending Conference Champions
Texas enters 2022 as the six-time defending Big 12 Conference Champions. In all, Texas has won 10 of the 12 Big 12 Conference Championships held, placing runner-up in 2013 and fourth in 2014.
Players Mentioned
