Squad finishes 7th in conference championships

The IU rowing team left Lake Wingra in Madison, Wisc., with a bronze medal and seventh as a team overall at the 2007 Big Ten rowing championships Saturday.\n“I think in terms of our personal advancement as a team, IU did well,” said freshman Michelle Marchese. “Each boat came off the water pleased that they had great rows, but I think most of the girls were just disappointed with the outcome of the races.”\nThe Big Ten conference is one of the toughest in NCAA Division 1 rowing. Most of the crews the Hoosiers raced against have been consistently ranked in the top 20 throughout the season. Minnesota came out on top, followed by Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Iowa and IU. \nIU’s second varsity four came home with the team’s first Big Ten varsity medal in the history of the program. They finished with a time of 7:23.762, behind Wisconsin and Minnesota.\nIU’s first varsity had the second most successful run during the event, taking second in the petite final and sixth overall. \n“The morning was questionable,” senior Stacey Young said. “It wasn’t horrible, but it just wasn’t our best, and you must be at your absolute best at Big Tens. The afternoon race felt great, though. ... It was one of the best races we’ve had this season, if not the best.”\nBoth the first varsity eight and second varsity eights took seventh overall in the day’s races. \n“We realized that we are still improving and growing, not only as a boat but as a team,” freshman Emily Kasavana said. “There were definitely improvements and promise shown for South/ Centrals (regatta) and for the future.”\nThe relative inexperience of the team proved to be the biggest disadvantage for the Hoosiers going into the race. While the majority of Big Ten varsity crews comprise mostly juniors and seniors, a majority of seats in IU’s top boats are filled by freshmen and sophomores. However, the Hoosiers have shown considerable strides this season and are focusing on the future.\n“We have been practicing for this for months now,” sophomore Madison Spruell said. “We went there and did what we could. We raced crews that had more experience than my crew, but it didn’t stop us. We will be back next year.”