Recapping Indiana rowing’s 2022 season

After ending fifth within the Huge Ten and lacking the NCAA Championships for the primary time in seven years through the 2021 season, Indiana rowing entered March 2022 trying to enhance. Though the Hoosiers failed to succeed in the NCAA Championships, they recorded a greater end within the Huge Ten and stayed aggressive all through the season.

The Hoosiers’ common season started on the Oak Ridge Cardinal Invitational, hosted by the College of Louisville at Melton Lake in Tennessee. On the 11-team season-opening regatta, the Hoosiers experimented with completely different lineups and techniques to maximise their six boats’ potential. Regardless of altering lineups all through the three-session meet, Indiana recorded wins within the First Varsity Eight and Secord Varsity Eight races of the second session.

For its second competitors of the season, Indiana deliberate to journey to Ann Arbor to compete towards defending Huge Ten convention champion Michigan. The regatta, initially scheduled to happen on the Saturday of the weekend, was canceled as a result of inclement climate within the forecast. As an alternative, the Hoosiers and Wolverines competed in an unofficial scrimmage on Friday.

The subsequent week, Indiana traveled to Columbus, Ohio, for the OSU Regatta, the place it gained six of its 12 races throughout two chilly and wet periods. Indiana’s wins got here within the First Varsity Eight, Second Varsity Eight and First Varsity 4 races in every session, beating the College of Oklahoma and Michigan State within the morning and the Spartans once more within the afternoon.

Essentially the most spectacular consequence from the Hoosiers’ efficiency within the OSU Regatta got here within the morning’s Second Varsity Eight race, the place Indiana gained by a margin of practically 17 seconds. Though it didn’t file the workforce’s largest margin of victory from the weekend, Indiana’s First Varsity Eight earned Huge Ten Boat of the Week honors after leaping out to early leads and cruising to wins in each of its races.

Subsequent, the Hoosiers went to Sarasota, Florida, for the Huge Ten Invitational and gained 4 races through the weekend. The meet featured all eight Huge Ten groups and eight different groups from across the nation racing in three periods over two days. Within the first session, the Hoosiers noticed success early with two wins and all 4 varsity boats ending first or second of their races, however they have been unable to maintain up the momentum and all 4 completed third or fourth within the afternoon session.

Indiana bounced again within the meet’s last session, nonetheless, because the Hoosiers’ 4 varsity boats totalled one win, two second-place finishes and one third-place end. All 4 varsity boats posted their quickest occasions of the weekend of their last races.

The ultimate regatta of the common season, the thirteenth Dale England Cup, was additionally Indiana’s solely competitors at its residence course on Lake Lemon this season. The meet featured Indiana racing in a single session towards the College of Notre Dame, Clemson College and Michigan State. The Hoosiers gained all three of the scored races and two of the non-scored races to complete with a most attainable rating of 72 factors and a fifth-straight Dale England Cup victory.

For the reason that cup was the one residence meet of the season, many followers confirmed up for his or her solely probability to help the workforce in individual. These followers in attendance obtained to cheer alongside throughout probably the most dominant efficiency of the day, when Indiana’s First Varsity Eight boat gained its race by greater than 11 seconds and set a brand new course file with a time of 6:27.6 within the course of.

On the Huge Ten Championships in Indianapolis, the Hoosiers completed fourth general and have been unable to file a win as Ohio State and Michigan, each of whom entered the weekend ranked top-ten nationally, dominated all six races within the single-session regatta.

One of the best efficiency of the convention championships for Indiana got here within the First Varsity Eight race, the place the Hoosiers jumped out to an early lead by means of the primary 500 meters. On the midway level of the race, Indiana stood in third place with Rutgers shortly closing in, however the Hoosiers have been capable of maintain off the Scarlet Knights to take the bronze medal by lower than three-tenths of a second.

Though Indiana was not chosen to compete within the NCAA Championships, a number of members of the workforce acquired particular person honors from the Huge Ten Convention. Senior Laura Fenison earned the Rowing Athlete of the 12 months award, as chosen by the convention’s head coaches, and made First Workforce All-Convention. Junior Piper Maaka and senior Ella Cunningham have been named to the Second Workforce All-Convention.

Subsequent season, the Huge Ten will once more be a aggressive convention as three groups — Ohio State, Michigan and Rutgers — certified for the NCAA Championships, with Ohio State ending the very best of the three in eight place. Within the season-ending coaches’ ballot, Ohio State ranked No. 6, Michigan No. 10, Rutgers No. 13 and Indiana No. 18. The Hoosiers’ 2023 season will start subsequent March.