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Rowing to the NCAA Championship

By Noah Seligman

Oct 29, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; The Wisconsin Badgers flag is carried by Bucky Badger prior to the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 23-17. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; The Wisconsin Badgers flag is carried by Bucky Badger prior to the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 23-17. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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Wisconsin women’s rowing punches it ticket to the NCAA Tournament

While the regular school year has ended in Madison, the season continues for Wisconsin women’s rowing.  The Badgers will be competing in the NCAA Tournament.

I once ruined a family boundary waters trip with my feeble paddling.  Much respect to the dedicated athletes who excels in one of the more grueling sports.  In fact, if you’ve ever run on the lake shore path in Madison past the boat house you likely have seen the physical punishment rowers endure in training.

The NCAA Rowing Championships will be held in New Jersey from May 26-28th.  A total of 22 schools received invites.  Half the field is comprised of automatic qualifiers of conference championships while the other half is from at-large bids.  THE Ohio State received the automatic bid from the Big Ten, while Wisconsin is joined by four other Big Ten schools in securing an at-large invite.

According to a UW Athletic Department news release, women’s rowing will be making its 10th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.  The Badgers are one of only seven programs to have competed at the NCAA Championships every year for the last decade.

"UW returns to the championships after placing ninth at the 2016 event. Last year’s trip included a ninth-place finish in the varsity eight, which matched the program’s best result with its top boat. It also included a 10th-place finish for the second varsity eight and 11th-place result for the varsity four."

Wisconsin women’s rowing finished third in the Big Ten Championships over the past weekend.  The Badgers have finished 3rd in the Big  Ten Championships in six of the last seven years.  Of note, the Badgers have just 10 seniors on its 76 woman roster.

Next: Wisconsin Badger Track & Field at Big Ten Outdoors

According to numbers from the UW rowing record book, the Badgers have averaged 33.3 points over its 13 NCAA Championship appearances.  During that span, Wisconsin’s average overall team place is 11th, boosted by a 7th place finish in 2009-10 and 8th place in 2005-06.  The Badgers are ranked 11th in the most recent national polling.

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