April 18, 2008

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State rowing competes in its final regular season duals on Saturday, April 19, taking on Big Ten foes Minnesota and Michigan in Minneapolis, Minn. The Spartans race against the Wolverines in the morning, and the Golden Gophers in the afternoon in 2,000-meter events.

Due to lake conditions, the regatta has been moved from Lake Phalen to the Mississippi River. The races will take place on the river just south of the Lake Street Bridge, beginning at 8:30 a.m., followed by an afternoon session at 12:30 p.m.

River Map and Viewing Locations

To watch the regatta, it is suggested to park near Summit Ave and Mississippi River Boulevard South in St. Paul, which is at the 700-meter mark of the race. Fans can also watch the start of the races at the eastern end of the Lake Street Bridge on Saturday. The race schedule will be determined Saturday morning, depending on weather conditions.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
The No. 7 Spartans head into weekend action as the Big Ten's top program, and look to finish strong in their final regular season races. MSU's varsity four boat has shown consistency through the spring, and continued to pull strong sweeping its races against Virginia, Central Florida and Oregon State last weekend.

In day one of last weekend's two-day duals, the varsity eight and second varsity eight also tallied wins against the Beavers to complete the sweep in the afternoon, while both crews narrowly fell to Virginia that morning. The next day, the 2V8 defeated the Knights by nearly six seconds, and the varsity eight finished the day with a solid start-to-finish race, maintaining the lead throughout the course to best Central Florida.

Overall, MSU earned wins against Oregon State and Central Florida, while losing to No. 3 Virginia.

SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
The No. 15-ranked University of Michigan won four of its six races against No. 9 Tennessee, No. 11 Ohio State and Bucknell last Saturday (April 12) on Griggs Reservoir. The first varsity eight led the way by edging out the Lady Volunteers by 1.5 seconds to capture first place.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN GOPHERS
Defending Big Ten champion Minnesota opened the spring season by hosting a scrimmage against Iowa on April 6, and haven't competed since. In the first varsity eight, Iowa gained the first piece win. The two teams were even in the second piece, while Minnesota won the third and fourth pieces. The second varsity eight and varsity four premiered with sweeps against the Hawkeyes, while the novice varsity eight crew picked up three of four wins.