Dale England Cup begins in Bloomington Friday

The IU rowing team will finish off its regular season on Lake Lemon this weekend by playing host to the fifth annual Dale England Cup that kicks off Friday.

The team will meet up with No. 10 Notre Dame, Alabama and conference-rival Iowa for the first time this season for two days of competition in Bloomington. 

Last week at the Clemson Invitational, the Second Varsity Eight and the First Varsity Four topped Michigan State and Minnesota in races. IU Coach Steve Peterson said that was huge for his squad and provided a great platform for those boats going into this weekend’s regatta.

After spending two weekends on the road, freshman coxswain of the Second Varsity Eight Kelsey Cundiff said it is a relief to have a break from the long bus rides and have a little bit more time to practice.

“With other courses we have normally at most one practice before the race to get used to the course and how everything works, but when it’s at home, it’s familiar and comfortable,” Cundiff said. “We know the traffic pattern and how the course looks and things like that, so it’s easier in that sense.

“For my boat personally, we’ve been working on a lot of things all spring, and this is our last chance before Big Tens to really prove ourselves and get some momentum going into postseason, so it’s nice to be able to do that at home and in front of our supporters.”

The Hoosiers have met their fair share of adversity this season, dealing with injuries, inclement weather and illness. Junior Asja Zero, who Peterson said is the team’s best stroker, is out with an injury, and senior captain Kathryn Laine might be sidelined this weekend due to illness. 

He said injuries are a seemingly never-ending battle that the team has been fighting all year.

Despite everything the Hoosiers have been forced to overcome, Peterson and Cundiff believe they are ready for their last event of their regular season and the postseason that lies ahead. 

“There are plenty of examples in history of teams that weren’t undefeated going into the national championships, and they win, so it’s just part of being an athlete,” Peterson said. “As a coach, I think they are tough. I think they are ready. It’s just the mental side--that is the one that is hard to gauge.

“We’ll find out. I think this weekend should be a good indicator for us.”

Cundiff said IU’s squad is ready to adapt to anything that is thrown at them, and she and the Second Varsity Eight are looking to keep improving and building on last week’s success.

After working on the closing leg of the race this week, Peterson and Cundiff said they think the team is prepared to do well.

Cundiff said if her squad can go all out, they could have the potential to do great things.

“I think for my crew we just need to let go and go after it,” Cundiff said. “A few times in practice this season we’ve done that, and the difference in speed is incredible.

“So I think that if they can just have the confidence that they’ve put in the work and that they can win and just trust in that, then we can hold our own this weekend and come out on top.”