The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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46 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2019 helps you get through the ups and downs and adversity." Adversity came, in the form of in- consistent performances, the need to juggle lineups, etc. Rothstein felt the squad didn't really begin clicking at a high level until the month of May, coming up on the all-important cham- pionship events. He saw important parts of his team falling into place in those crucial weeks. "Our first eight, in particular, got a lot faster that month," Rothstein said. "Our second eight and our fours gelled." That didn't assure anything, even in the league championships, much less the NCAA Championships. Ohio State loomed as a big test, especially on Baraboo, Wisconsin's Devils Lake in the May 19 showdown. "There's no bigger rival than Ohio State for us," Rothstein said. "They are a great program. We've gone back and forth. If you look at the Big Tens, it's been us or them just about every year, at least in the last 10 years. "It usually comes down to one of us. They're definitely our biggest rival." This time around, the Wolverines took charge in the first varsity eight match, and everyone else followed suit. "It really came down to the first eight race," Rothstein said. "I felt good about our eight. I said before the race, if we row our race, we're going to win. You could tell about a third of the way through, we were rowing our race. We were very relaxed and had a nice rhythm. "Ohio State made a good push and started drawing close. We fought back and at that point, it was clear we were going to win." The Wolverines did win, finishing in 6:22.012 to OSU's 6:24.504. Michigan then recorded a decisive win over the Buckeyes in the second varsity eight race (6:30.479-6:35.079). The schools split the first two varsity four races. Michigan wound up with 186 points overall, the second-best effort in the history of the Big Ten Championships. The third-place finish at the NCAA Championships cemented strong con- nectedness among those finishing their Michigan careers. Rothstein is anxious to see where they all go from here. "We talk a lot about Michigan row- ing being a lifetime commitment, not just a four-year commitment," he said. "We want people to go out in to the world and do big things. That group is definitely going to go out and do big things. "They're really good athletes, but they're even better people. I'm re- ally excited to watch them in the next phase of their lives." The near miss at the NCAA Cham- pionships should also fuel the under- classmen in the days ahead, Rothstein commented. "They're really excited," he offered. "They understand now what it takes to win a national championship. They're excited to come back and train and get better." As it is, they were very good. When it came to Michigan's women's sports this year, there were none better. ❏ Both of U-M's varsity eight boats placed third at the NCAA Championships, giving the squad multiple medalist boats for the first time since 2012 and helping it accumulate 119 points, a new program record at the event. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY Filling Out The Top Five Female Teams Michigan's rowers weren't the only strong performers among female athletic squads, by any means. Here are the others that stood out, in order: 2. Swimming and diving — Mike Bottom's swimmers peaked at the right time, finishing third at the NCAA Championships after a runner-up effort in the Big Ten Championships. They went a perfect 8-0 in dual meets, moving their undefeated skene in those battles to 22. The third-place NCAA finish is the second-best showing in program history and marked the Wolverines' second consecutive top-four national placement. 3. Gymnastics — Bev Plocki's squad earned the Big Ten championship, the 24th of the coach's record-setting career. Those 24 titles give her more than any coach in the history of the Big Ten — in any sport. Her crew then went on to capture third place in the NCAA semifinals, following a second-place finish in the NCAA regionals. 4. Water polo — Dr. Marcelo Leonardi's team captured first place in the Col- lege Water Polo Association for an unprecedented fourth straight year. They also made it to the NCAA quarterfinals and finished with a No. 6 national ranking. 5. Lacrosse — Michigan earned its breakthrough campaign in the relatively young varsity sport at the school. The Wolverines finished 16-4 overall and 4-2 in the league for a third-place Big Ten finish. They also made the NCAA Tournament for the first time, reaching the event's second round. They accomplished all of that under the direction of second-year head coach Hannah Nielsen. — John Borton