The regular season may be over, but the championships are just heating up for the University of Wisconsin women's rowing team. The Big Ten Championships kick off the post-season Saturday, May 2, at Griggs Reservoir in Columbus, Ohio. The Badgers will take a full six-boat team into competition. Head coach Bebe Bryans led the team to another strong campaign in her fifth season at the helm. Bryans is excited about the way her team practiced and competed as they closed out their regular season.
The Badger women finished up the regular season schedule with an impressive weekend and third-place finish at the Lake Natoma Invitational in Gold River, Calif., on April 18 and 19. Among the competitors were national powers Stanford and Cal, but Wisconsin has seen plenty of tough competition this year.
We've raced a really tough schedule against some of the best teams in the country, and we know we can compete,"" coach Bryans said. ""I really think the Big Ten is as deep as it has ever been.""
Along with Wisconsin, that depth includes strong squads at Michigan and Michigan State. Both schools had undefeated Varsity Eight boats in the regular season, but Bryans is confident that the Badgers' boat can compete for the title.
""We all just want to go in and give it our best effort and see how fast we are. If we aren't fast enough, then so be it, but I think we are,"" Bryans said.
Maggie Galloway, a senior from Lexington, Ky., is a key member of Wisconsin's Varsity Eight crew and is well aware that the caliber of competition will be high this weekend. However, she says the team has been fast in practice, and everybody is confident that its fastest times are yet to come.
""The Big Ten is our best competition because we see the teams so many times in the year,"" Galloway said. ""We've lost to some of these crews this season and it's going to be really exciting to get out there and show them what our real speed is.""
Bryans noted that it will be important for the team to stay focused on its own rhythm and speed in order to put up times that will push Michigan and Michigan State for the Big Ten title.
""Last week, our focus slipped outside our own boats to the speed of the competition, we don't want to make the same mistakes this weekend,"" she said.
Another key factor to bringing home a title is the team's depth and balance. All six boats are expected to have strong showings and finish near the top of their respective heats.
After this weekend, the women's rowing team will compete in the NCAA Regionals and, if they qualify, the NCAA National Championships. However, for a senior like Galloway, a conference title is all that matters this weekend.
""[A championship] would mean the world to me,"" Galloway said. ""It is something I've thought about for four years. It would be awesome.""
If the Badgers can carry over the momentum from the Lake Natoma Invitational and continue to learn from their mistakes, the trophy case at the Porter Boathouse might need to be rearranged to accommodate a new piece of hardware.
