66 // VARSITY April 17, 2014
A new season finally
arrives as UW hits the road
Split squad heads to California, Lake Mendota
W
hen the Wisconsin
men's rowing team
races this Friday and
Saturday, it will begin a month
and a half sprint to the national
championships that take place
in West Windsor, N.J., May 30-
June 1.
That sprint starts with a
bang as 13th-ranked Wiscon-
sin opens with second-ranked
California at the Stanford In-
vite Friday evening in Red-
wood Shores, Calif. UW will
send its varsity eight, second
varsity eight and freshmen
eight boats for the race. The
same boats will race again on
Saturday against No. 12 Stan-
ford and No. 18 Oregon State.
While UW's top boats are
out in California, the Badgers'
remaining crews will race for
the only time this season at
home on Lake Mendota, taking on Min-
nesota and Milwaukee School of Engi-
neering. All of the racing is a welcome
sight for the Badgers.
"Our lake opened up on Sunday so
we are now back at it," head coach Chris
Clark said. "The last two years have been
unusual in my experience with such a
late thaw. We've missed our Michigan
Dual which is a great way to begin com-
petition. So, more than ever, we really
look forward to the Stanford Invite as a
total immersion into race intensity. Of all
the crews there, we are the only one that
races the three other teams besides our-
selves in the top 20. No matter how much
you prepare for it and train to it, racing is
racing and there is no substitute. I expect
a lot of wobbly-legged guys after Cal on
Friday afternoon. They are going to dig
deep in a way they haven't in a long time
and better late than never."
QUITE A PAIR
● He is new to Badger rowing, but James
Lueken is rare in that he is a fresh-
man who has already raced with the
best Wisconsin has to offer. He sat
seven seat in UW's entry in the cham-
pionship eight at last fall's Head of
the Charles. He is the twin brother of
Sarah, who is a frosh on the women's
rowing team, and comes from a stel-
lar gene pool as the son of Jeff Lueken,
who played defensive end in football
at Notre Dame.
SCHEDULE
COMING UP - STANFORD INVITATIONAL
Friday vs. #2 California 7:30 p.m.
Saturday vs. #12 Stanford 11:10 a.m.
Saturday vs. #18 Oregon St. 4 p.m.
Saturday Minnesota/MSOE 8. a.m.
May 3 at BU/MIT 9 a.m.
INSIDE
MEN'S ROWING
BY PAUL CAPOBIANCO @BADGERROWING
