Under pressure, IU takes 2 against Ohio opponents

Still sore from its loss dealt by Michigan State, the women's rowing team jumped right back into action to capture four out of five events during the weekend. \nBoth novice 8 boats tested the waters first, completing each of their races with first-place honors. \nThe mostly freshman second novice 8 shell, led by Allison Parman and Madison Spruell, darted quickly out of the gate to open a two-boat lead against the University of Dayton. The team's speed, which gradually grew to a four shell gap between the boats, earned it a time of seven minutes, 30.4 seconds at the finish line. Dayton concluded their race at 8:13.2. \nThe second novice 8 boat competed in similar fashion, keeping a solid lead from opening marker to the finish line. The Hoosiers' initial one-shell lead stretched to two as they kept the University of Cincinnati and Dayton at bay. IU, who clocked in at 7:06.02, completed the race first. Behind them was Cincinnati, whose 7:27.0 time earned it second place, and Dayton wrapped up the chase with 7:36.2. \n"All of our boats did so well today," IU head coach Steve Peterson said. "We raced hard and kept the momentum constant." \nThe Hoosiers' first varsity 4 team had similar results as Shelby Jacobson, Jessica Newlin, Dana Powell, Liz Marshall, Erin Kuehn and Jessica Newlin pulled hard to finish two boat lengths ahead of Cincinnati (7:53.3), Dayton (8:09.5) and the Eastern Michigan University (8:39.1). \nAs the Hoosiers gain more experience on the water, coach Carmen Mirochna has noted their athletes' determination to get better. \n"This is exactly what we needed," Mirochna said. "Their dedication really shows on days like today, and we will continue working hard."\nIU's all-freshman novice 4 crew was posed a new challenge as they sought to row against Cincinnati's and Eastern Michigan's second varsity 4 boats. The Hoosiers placed third as the Eagles took first in 8:10.1, a two-shell lead over the Bearcats' 8:17.3.\nAs the last race of the day commenced, IU's varsity 8 tandem broke out of the gate to solidify an early lead at the halfway marker. Lead by Betsy Hibbard and Elaine Deppe, the crew sliced the water's surface with enough momentum with finish eight seconds ahead of Eastern Michigan, while Dayton nabbed third place at 6:56.0. Cincinnati rounded out the field with a finish of 7:00.7 \n"These wins are showing us that we can expect more from our players," assistant coach Fran O'Rourke said. "Overall, it was a great day for Indiana rowing." \nThe Hoosiers will next travel to Indianapolis on Saturday to take on Purdue, Wisconsin, Louisville and Notre Dame for the Big Ten/ Big East Dual.