IU ready for final home meet against Minnesota

With its last meet at home quickly approaching, the women's rowing team has been busy preparing for what may come. Despite poor racing conditions last Saturday and Sunday, assistant coach Fran O'Rourke sees the team's aggressiveness as a good sign of things to come.\n"We have immense depth on the team, especially on the novice squads," she said. "There is such competitiveness to be strong rowers."\nCarmen Mirochna, first assistant coach, added that the novice group as a whole has the most potential to improve on the team. Freshmen Ashley Johnson, Jenn Maslanka and Jamie Spoto have been a vigorous trio, she said. \n"The harder you work," she explained, "the better you can become."\nDespite some hard knocks and tough losses to the defending national championship team from University of California over the weekend, the setback has strengthened the team's desire to dominate. With aggravated winds and choppy water, the squad learned it was more concerned with what happens inside the boat rather than outside.\n"Racing the defending national champ can only make you better," said senior captain Elisabeth Benoit. "It definitely makes you go faster. We all raced in the same weather -- conditions like that are no excuse."\nAcross the board, both Benoit and fellow captain, senior Colleen Ryan, felt their team dynamic and technique had risen, but they noted the need to feel a certain tempo within the vessel.\nThe biggest aspect of improvement for the Hoosiers has been finding the rhythm of the boat, Benoit noted. But just one thing cannot be what makes the difference.\nWith the school year winding down and spring fever in the air, the team has been anything but lackadaisical.\n"This is our season, our favorite time of the year," Ryan said.\nBenoit said the warm weather makes for the most exciting part of the season.\n"You wake up and don't have to put on five layers of spandex," she explained.\nIU coach Steve Peterson added that the entire squad has matured as rowers and when focused can put the blade into the water most effectively.\nIU will host its final home meet this Saturday, April 15, when the team will race No. 18 Minnesota, Ohio State and No. 19 Oregon State.