Final Standings
1. Michigan State	137
2. Michigan	126
3. Ohio State	123
4. Wisconsin	113
5. Iowa	60
6. Minnesota	59
7. Indiana	24

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The No. 3 Michigan State rowing program claimed its second straight Big Ten title, and third in five seasons, after finishing with 137 points Saturday on Griggs Reservoir at the 2009 Big Ten Championships.

The Spartans won both the varsity eight and second varsity eight races to complete the day, which accounted for 105 total team points, helping them edge second-place Michigan, who finished with 126 points. The Spartans become only the second team in Big Ten Championship history to win back-to-back team titles. The win by the varsity eight also marks the second-straight Big Ten title for that crew as well. The second varsity four and second varsity eight also earned medals on the day, each taking home the bronze in their events.

"Clearly I am very proud of our team," head coach Matt Weise said. "We had not been in a whole lot of close races this season, and after losing the varsity eight heat this morning, I think that our focus got much better. It was a sort of a wake up call and they realized that they cannot race that way, so they came out in the final and both varsity eight boats I thought had their best races when we needed it. I am just really proud of our team."

In addition, five Spartans were honored as All-Big Ten Team members. Three rowers, two the varsity eight boat - Sarah Schmidt (Grosse Ile, Mich.) and Lauren Gamble (Commerce Township, Mich.) - along with Amanda Dunnill (Flushing, Mich.) from the second varsity eight, were named to the first team. Both Ashley Peach (St. John's, Newfoundland) and Nancy Diehl (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) earned second team honors while senior Ashley Wenneman (Grosse Ile, Mich.) was honored as the Spartans' recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award to round out the individual accolades.
 
The Spartans opened the day by advancing five of their six boats to the Grand Finals in the afternoon session. Both the second varsity eight and the second varsity four won their respective heats while advancing to the Grand Finals. The second varsity four was in the most highly contested heat of the morning, edging Ohio State's crew by a photo-finish, just 0.01 seconds ahead of the Buckeyes. The top-seeded second varsity eight won its heat much more convincingly, topping second-place Michigan by three seconds with a time of 6:18.46.

Also advancing to the Grand Finals were the Spartans' top-seeded varsity eight and both of the novice eight boats. Both Michigan and Wisconsin advanced all six of their boats to the Grand Final, setting up a close competition for the afternoon session.

The novice boats began the competition in the afternoon session. The Spartans' second novice eight, racing in the third lane against crews from Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana, finished the 2,000-meter trek in 6:47.92, placing them third and earning five points for the team. Wisconsin won the heat, giving the Badgers the early lead in the competition. The MSU novice eight placed fourth in its Grand Final, earning eight points for the team, pushing the team-total to 13 points through the novice races. Wisconsin led the event through the novice races, accumulating 21 overall points; Michigan was in second through the first two races with 18 points.

Next up for the Spartans was the Grand Final of the second varsity four race. The crew, seeded fourth heading into the competition, turned in the best time in the event during the morning session and finished third in the Grand Final with a time of 7:07.13, moving the team's point total to 23, keeping them in third place. The crew was the Spartans' second medal-winner on the day, taking home the bronze medal in the second varsity four.

The varsity four, the only Spartan boat to not qualify for the Grand Final, placed first in its Petite Final with a time of 7:08.08. The top finish in the Petite Final earned the crew fifth place overall, moving MSU's point total to 32, placing them fourth heading into the final two races of the day, the second varsity eight and the varsity eight.

The Spartans entered the day as the top seed in the second varsity eight and after dominating the morning race, the crew followed suit in the Grand Final. The second varsity eight clocked in at 6:15.07 to win the race, scoring 42 points and moving the team into third place. After the second varsity eight Grand Final, Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin all ranked within six points of each other, forcing a winner-take-all scenario in the varsity eight Grand Final. The second varsity eight took first place for the second time in program history and first time since 2003, which was also the last time that the Big Ten Championships were hosted in Columbus at Griggs Reservoir.

The varsity eight, needing to win to clinch the team title, dominated its Grand Final en-route to a first-place finish. The crew clocked in at 6:06.30, topping second-place Michigan by open water. It is the second-straight season that MSU has claimed the varsity eight title and marks the third time in program history that the varsity eight has taken home the gold.

The Spartans will continue the postseason with the NCAA South/Central Sprints in Oak Ridge, Tenn., two weeks from today on May 16.