The No. 4 Ohio State rowing team aims to bring home a fourth title this weekend when it heads to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championships Sunday.
OSU closed out the regular season April 28, winning 10 out of 16 races against No. 2 Virginia, No. 3 Michigan, No. 14 Harvard and No. 19 Clemson.
Coach Andy Teitelbaum said the Buckeyes are focused on keeping the momentum of the regular season going into the competition this weekend, and acknowledges that the competition is high.
“Obviously I think it’s everybody’s goal to win a conference championship. I’m sure we’re not alone there,” Teitelbaum said. “We’re positioned quite strongly, so it’s well within our reach. But, being seeded to win a championship and winning a championship are two different things. We’re the defending champions and we’re hoping to see if we can’t go back to back.”
Senior Kate Sweeney said the end of the regular season has been a reflection on the team’s hard work and dedication.
“As a team, our goal is definitely to repeat what we did last year and come home with the conference title,” Sweeney said. “We feel extremely prepared; the work we’ve put in since September is really showing on the water and everyone’s really anxious and ready to get out there, but we know that the conference is particularly strong this year. There’s a lot of good teams and good boats individually that are looking for titles, so it’s not going to be an easy path, but I think that we definitely can come home with the trophy again.”
Senior Emily Walsh said that a win this weekend would be a meeting of high goals the team set earlier in the season.
“We started this year with very high goals and aspirations, and all of us have worked hard non-stop this year just keeping those goals in mind, and I think it would mean a lot,” Walsh said. “It would be a good testament to how much work we’ve done and how far we’ve come as a team to win again.”
With their last regular season as Buckeyes finished, the seniors reflected upon the memories they have created at OSU, and what they will carry with them after they leave.
“This is a really special group this year,” Sweeney said. “From September, we decided that our goal was to win a conference championship and the national championship, and the work that these girls, my teammates and the coaching staff, have put in every single day has been pretty amazing and I think just being a part of that group is a memory that I’m going to take with me when I leave, whether or not we end up winning nationals.”
Walsh emphasized the special meaning of this weekend’s competition to the seniors, and shared the place this past season holds in her memory.
“This has definitely been my favorite year,” Walsh said. “I think we’ve had some of the strongest crews in recent history and it’s been a great team atmosphere, a lot of seniors on the team who want to make this one count for everyone. I really enjoyed the year working with everyone, I’ll miss them a lot.”
Senior Ulrike Denker said she has hopes the team will overcome the competition and perform in a way that reflects their extra work this year.
“I think the training we put in this year has been the most we’ve ever put in,” Denker said. “I think it would be great to show that and to be able to perform that way. We’ve had really good memories on the water, like races we will never forget, but also off the water. Everyone put in 110 percent; everyone goes beyond just what they are supposed to do.”
The Buckeyes will face Indiana, Iowa, No. 5 Michigan, No. 14 Michigan State, No. 18 Minnesota and No. 9 Wisconsin. The event is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.