Crew hopes for success against Big Ten elite

The IU rowing team will compete in what could be its last regatta of the spring when Iowa plays host to the Big Ten Championships May 1 at Lake McBride.\nThe Hoosiers will compete against Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State and Wisconsin. The Wolverines, the defending Big Ten champions, have claimed the title three times -- in 2000, 2001 and 2003. Ohio State is the only other school to win a Big Ten rowing crown.\nThe Hoosiers are going into the competition with realistic expectations, said head coach Steve Peterson. Peterson is well aware the Big Ten conference is one of the fastest conferences in the country for rowing.\nThe Buckeyes enter the competition ranked No. 1 in the country with Michigan State, Michigan and Wisconsin all ranked in the top 12. In addition, Minnesota and Iowa are both ranked in the top 20, creating a logjam at the top of the conference. Out of the seven conference schools with varsity rowing programs, IU is the only one who has not received any votes for national rankings. \n"I think it would be naïve to sit here and say that we're going to win Big Tens. I don't think that's going to happen," Peterson said. "With that being said, I do think the girls are a lot more confident this year, as they have seen a little bit of success with the way they're rowing, and I do feel that we can knock off some of these schools."\nIn the past four years, IU has struggled at the bottom of the Big Ten, but Peterson feels this year, that reputation can change. Peterson said he believes his crew is capable of eliminating schools and maybe even rising up to a fifth place finish. \n"I think that if they row the way they have, I see the varsity knocking off schools like Iowa and Minnesota," Peterson said. "The novice are going into it, and I think they can finish probably fourth of fifth. Our goals are modest, but very realistic for this young program."\nIn the Varsity Eight event, Ohio State is the dominant force and is favored to win the Big Ten. The top ranked team in the nation, the Buckeyes have already beaten seasoned crews Princeton and Yale. Still, Michigan State's Varsity Eight is believed to be capable of giving the Buckeyes a run for their money. \nThe Spartans are projected as one of the strongest groups as a team because of their depth in the other competing crews.\nThis weekend's regatta will be the same 2,000 meter course, but in the morning there will be two heats for each event with four crews in one and three in the other, all seeded based on results from the season. The top two finishing crews in each event will go on to the Grand Final, and the others will go to the Petite Final, which will determine the final placing results.