Saturday marks season's end

The women's rowing team will wrap up its fall season Saturday at the Head of the Elk regatta in Elkhart, Ind. The race will take place on the St. Joseph River, a 2.5-mile stretch of numerous bends and curves. The Hoosiers are excited about the coming weekend and look forward to a competitive race. Indiana will face off against the 2001 Big Ten Conference Champions University of Michigan, Purdue, Notre Dame and Michigan State.\nCoach Mark Wilson and the Hoosiers want to send a strong message to the other rowing teams before breaking for winter practice.\n\"We've been improving as we go along," Wilson said. "The first couple of races were not as strong, but last weekend's races showed that we can compete with all teams."\nAlthough Wilson said he does not expect to win, he does expect the varsity and the novice squads to do well. \nThis fall season has been a success for the Hoosiers and has helped them improve and find a strategy that will help them win.\n"The fall season is for trying out different women in each of the boats and seeing what works best," Wilson said.\nThe novice squad has been able to get a feel for the sport and experience racing during the season. Wilson said the novice squad has been improving every day and he expects them to do well at Head of the Elk. \nAfter the weekend, the Hoosiers will begin their winter training before heading into the 2001-2002 spring season that begins in March. The Hoosiers will travel to Elberton, Ga. in March for a week of training before heading to Sacramento, Calif. for the kick off of their spring season. The Hoosiers will also be host to the NCAA National Rowing Championship at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis in May.