Rowing Starts Spring Schedule at Alabama Saturday

Rowing at Alabama
Date	Saturday, March 2 \| 10 a.m.
Venue	Tuscaloosa, Ala. \| Black Warrior River
Twitter	@EMURowing \| @EMUAthletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University rowing team will open up spring competition against the University of Alabama Saturday, March 2, on the Black Warrior River. The contest is set to begin at 9 a.m. CT (10 a.m. ET).

The sprint race portion of the morning kicks off with the Collegiate Varsity 4s at 9:10 a.m. CT, with the Varsity 8s going at 9:20 a.m. Following those events, several crews from both schools will take part in a series of 2,000-meter pieces with a pre-determined cap on the stroke rating.

All the crews will race again with the 4+'s racing at 9:30, 9:50 and 10:10, and the 8+'s racing at 9:40, 10:00 and 10:20.

RACING ON FORD LAKE: EMU raced against the University of Dayton and Adrian College, Oct. 28, tallying four first-place finishes for the first time since April 11, 2021. The Eagles crossed first in the varsity eight, varsity four, novice eight, and novice four races. The regatta was the program's first fall event at home since 2009.

EAGLES ON THE EAST COAST: Eastern Michigan opened up its official fall schedule, Oct. 21, at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta on the Charles River in Boston, Mass. The Eagles' club eight squad finished 14th out of 40 boats with a time of 17:09.437, improving upon the team's 17:16.227 finish in 2022. In the Eagles' five V8+ races all-time at the Head of the Charles, 17:09.437 is the squad's fastest finish while EMU's 14th-place finish is its second-highest all-time (fifth in 2019 in 17:47.52).

LAST FALL: The Green and White raced in three different fall scrimmages. On Sept. 10, Eastern Michigan faced off with the University of Michigan in Belleville, Mich. then traveled to Lake Ovid in East Lansing, Mich. to take on Michigan State University, Oct. 14. The Eagles finished off their preseason races against the University of Wisconsin and University of Minnesota, Nov. 4, on Lake Mendota in Madison, Wis.

RETURNING TO THE RIGGER: Five of the nine members from the First Varsity Eight boat who took seventh at the CAA Championships are returning to the water for the Eagles this season as seniors Laura Borchers (Troy, Ohio/Troy), Reagan Fazekas (Hillsdale, Mich./Hanover-Horton), Abby Goodwin (Whitehouse, Ohio/Anthony Wayne), and Abbey Simpson (Wyandotte, Mich./Roosevelt) and juniors Lily Wilhelm (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville-Butler) and Emma Wyss (Miamisburg, Ohio/Miamisburg) remain on the roster for Eagles this season.

Wilhelm returns as one of the most decorated rowers on the team after she earned an All-CAA distinction at the Coastal Athletic Association Championships last season.

ASSISTANT COACH PROMOTION: Head Coach Kemp Savage announced Stephanie Lamphear as an Assistant Coach in the fall as she previously served in a volunteer role. Savage, Lamphear, Assistant Coaches Delaney McGuire and Annie Cantu, and Volunteer Assistant Coaches Haley Dutton and Kellie Savage make up the program's 2023-24 coaching staff.

THIS SPRING: In 2024, Eastern Michigan will travel around the country to compete against top opponents and in renowned regattas. EMU will start the season in Tuscaloosa, Ala., March 2, to duel with the University of Alabama on the Black Warrior River. Then, Eastern ventures to Cherry Hill, N.J. to take part in the Knecht Cup, April 13-14. The Eagles will stay on the East Coast to compete at the George Mason Invite, April 21, before their lone home regatta against Dayton, April 28. The Eagles will take on conference foes at the Coastal Athletic Assoication Championships in Pennsauken, N.J., May 19.

CHARGING TOWARD THE CHAMPIONSHIP: Last season, Eastern Michigan finished seventh at the CAA Championships. This year's conference championship will be held in Pennsauken, N.J., May 19. The CAA champion will earn a bid to the NCAA Championships in Bethel, Ohio, May 30-June 2.

EAGLES IN THE CLASSROOM: A total of 46 Eastern Michigan University rowers earned spots on the CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll for the 2023 fall semester. Those with a 4.0 grade point average are recognized as High Honors with Distinction. Student-athletes with a GPA between 3.7 and 4.0 are recognized as High Honors. Student-athletes with a GPA between 3.0 and 3.7 are recognized as Honors. For the first time ever, the conference honored student-athletes for three different levels of achievement. The Eagles had 12 student-athletes earned High Honors with Distinction and 14 with High Honors.

ERG ROOM: Eastern Michigan unveiled a newly renovated erg room inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center during the 2022-23 academic year, making the 2023-24 offseason the first in which EMU was able to utilize the room for the entire offseason. Eagle rowers now have access to usable training space that is three times larger than the old space. Additionally, the room can now fit more than 70 ergs and 20 stationary bikes.

CRIMSON TIDE TRADITION: The Eagles have spent their spring break in Tuscaloosa, Ala. 10 times in the last 12 seasons. The only two seasons in which the Green and White did not face off against Alabama were in 2020 (COVID-19 Pandemic) and 2015.

LAST TIME VS. ALABAMA: EMU began its 2023 spring season racing against No. 15-ranked University of Alabama, March 4, where Eastern boats competed in four different races. No times or team scores were officially kept.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan will travel to Cherry Hill, N.J. for its next competition at the Knecht Cup, April 13-14.

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Players Mentioned

Laura Borchers

Reagan Fazekas

Abby Goodwin

Abbey Simpson

Lily Wilhelm

Emma Wyss

Eastern Michigan Athletics