Novices succeed after varsity struggles

At the conclusion of IU's last home competition against Minnesota, Ohio State and Oregon State Saturday, the women's rowing team learned that intensity can have its disadvantages. According to coach Steve Peterson, the varsity crew's work ethic can make for a big drawback. \n"They get on the line and become very excited," he said. "I believe they could've won today, but their aggressiveness amounts to problems when they forget to really think." \nBoth the Hoosiers' first varsity 4 and first varsity 8 boats finished behind Minnesota's crews, averaging nine seconds behind their Big Ten competition. Composed of captains Colleen Ryan and Elisabeth Benoit, the varsity 8 finished second again with a time of 6 minutes, 49.02 seconds, to Oregon State (6:36.5) in the fourth heat. \nThe varsity 4 crew, led by cox Shelby Jacobson, capitalized on the second attempt and crossed the finish line at 7:38.3 with time to spare as Oregon State came up second in 7:45.1. \nPrior to the varsity's win, IU's strongest showing came from its novice boats. \n"Our first novice eight group did well today," said assistant coach Fran O'Rourke. "They rowed their race, came from behind and stayed at it." \nThe first heat held Minnesota and IU side-by-side up through the halfway mark, but with persistence the Hoosiers snagged a lead and rowed with it to a first-place finish of 6:54.4. Taking their mark for a second time, the crew beat Oregon State (6:49.65) with two seconds to spare. \n"We've practiced to improve our strides and I think we fit the mold our coaches have wanted us to," freshman Jenn Maslanka said. "We raced our race, and it was a big accomplishment because we were so close (with Oregon State)." \nAssistant coach Carmen Mirochna added that all of the athletes said freshman Madison Spruell competed her best Saturday, attributing her effort to the boat's success. On the varsity side, Mirochna cited junior Betsy Hibbard as having the biggest influence overall on her team's performance that day. \nAs the Hoosiers approach Big Ten territory, the coaches note that young members will need to fill bigger shoes and compete at the varsity level. The novice squads have a legitimate shot at medaling come season's end, said Peterson, but to do it they need to consistently be the best crew. \n"Indiana is getting faster," Mirochna said. "Through them we realize why we came here"