The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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44 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2019 BY JOHN BORTON M ichigan led the headliner varsity eight race at the NCAA Championships with 500 meters to go in the 2,000-meter battle. The Wolverines were that close to taking command in the sport's six-school title regatta. Washington lagged in sixth place, but erupted down the stretch to win the race, and ultimately the national title. Michigan finished third in both, in a competition over which U-M head coach Mark Rothstein still marvels. "That's how close the race was," Rothstein recalled. "It was just a re- ally tight race, probably the best race I've ever seen at the collegiate level. It was really cool to be in that race, and if you raced it six times, you might get six different winners." The Wolverines didn't win it, fin- ishing in 6:08.659, to Washington's 6:07.284 and Texas' 6:07.971. But no- body could cast Rothstein's crew as anything but winners in the big pic- ture, following a sixth Big Ten cham- pionship and a No. 3 team finish at nationals. The effort proved strong enough to make Rothstein's Wolverines this publication's Female Team of the Year for Michigan athletics. "It really started with the seniors, and their leadership and commit- ment," Rothstein said. "That was a special group, right from when they got on campus as freshmen. They kept getting better each year. "Their leadership was stellar. That helped make this a special team." FEMALE TEAM OF THE YEAR ROWING RIDING THE WAVE U-M's Rowers Won The Big Ten And Set A Program Record For NCAA Points En Route To A Third-Place National Finish The Michigan rowing team won the Big Ten for the first time since 2012 with 186 points, a new program record and the No. 2 all-time point total in conference history. Their latest campaign stacks up with the 2000, 2012 and 2017 seasons as the best in U-M annals. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY