'M' rowers in pursuit of top-ranked Huskies

The Michigan women's rowing team can certainly look forward to arriving in San Diego, Calif. for its meet this weekend. Unlike last weekend in Belleville, the weather forecast for the San Diego Crew Classic is expected to be partly sunny, with temperatures in the high 60s.

Last weekend, under very windy and at times nasty weather conditions, the Wolverines displayed one of their best overall performances in the history of the program.

Imagine what the Wolverines could accomplish under favorable weather conditions.

The Wolverines are determined to kick the No. 1 Washington Huskies off their top-ranked pedestal.

"We are going to go after them from the start," coach Mark Rothstein said. "They are the defending national champions and are going to be a great challenge."

Last year, the Wolverines had a bit of a mishap while competing in San Diego. They finished last in the Whittier Cup race after one of their boat's oars smacked into an oncoming buoy.

But, in the consolation finals, the Wolverines finished a close second out of six teams, just behind the winner, Stanford. The novice eight finished fifth in the finals of its race in San Diego last year.

The Wolverines would like to paint a bit of a different picture this year. Since their No. 8 preseason ranking was established, the Wolverines have consistently climbed toward the top of the polls. If they are to continue their rise, the Wolverines will need a little more of that "upset magic" this weekend.

Coming off their upset victory over No. 3 Virginia, the Wolverines are looking to crush any hopes the Huskies have of repeating as national champs.

"We can do well if we row our best race," freshman Alison Hickey said. "We need to be relaxed and confident."

Hickey, a starboard on the varsity eight boat, said that all of the basic fundamentals of rowing need to be intact in order for her boat to have a successful race - the coxswain must set the right tone for the boat as well as communicate properly to the rest of the crew members, while the stroke is responsible for making sure that the boat is rowing in sync.

Regardless, each rower plays an equal role in the boat's performance.

This year's Michigan team differs from previous ones in that the Wolverines can rely on any of their eight-person or four-person boats for a great battle against any of the opposition.

The Wolverines depart this afternoon, traveling across the country to compete against a variety of east and west coast teams. Also participating in the Crew Classic will be Stanford, Washington, Radcliffe, Northeastern, Oregon State and Cal-Berkeley, as well as a few Ivy League schools.

The regatta is significant in that the results will help determine which teams will be invited to nationals.

"It is important that we row at a good speed early," Rothstein said. "We will definitely have our hands full."

04-02-98