2023 looks set to be another exciting year for the fans of women’s rowing in Iowa, but what can we expect from this year?
The University of Iowa Hawkeyes team will be looking forward to another season of Big Ten action at various venues across the country. Let’s see what events they’ll be taking part in during 2023.
The Big Ten Season Starts March 25
2022’s Big Ten Rowing Championship was won by Ohio State, with Iowa finishing way back in fifth place. Nonetheless, they are still one of the best sports teams in Iowa. However, Emma Dabinett made it into the All-Big Ten First Team while Abbey Klostermann was selected for the All-Big Team second team.
This season will be opened on March 25, when defending champions Ohio State competes in Camden, while Iowa is listed to compete at Harvard on the same date, although full details of the event are yet to be released.
Before this, there are some competitions listed on the Hawkeyes’ schedule. The first one is set to take place in Orlando, Florida on February 10 and 11. After that, Iowa will be taking on Michigan State on March 18 at Tempe in Arizona. Full details and times have yet to be released for these days, but it looks like they’ll help the team to get warmed up in time for the next season to begin in March.
Go Hawks! Thanks @IowaWBB for having us! #Hawkeyes #FightForIowa #NGWSD pic.twitter.com/R3DcvwGkOZ
— Iowa Rowing (@iowarowing) February 10, 2022
Jeff Garbutt Sr Is Staying
In terms of the coaching team, Jeff Garbutt Sr will again be the head coach for the 2023 season, having taken on this role in 2021 following several years working as an assistant coach for the Hawkeyes.
The roster for this new season has a group of new faces in it, as you might have heard on any of Iowa’s sports radio stations. Garbutt proudly announced the arrival of eight new team members recently.
Assistant coaches Jeff Garbutt & Julie Quoss giving Academic Services a rowing tutorial at the boathouse #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/HOhWF4ZR3x
— Iowa Rowing (@iowarowing) July 22, 2015
New Recruits For The Hawkeyes
The newcomers include Emma and Annabel Rayner from England, as well as Karen Carey from Ireland and Meghan Harris who is from Canada.
Issy Allen is another of the new team members for this season, and she joins from Brisbane in Australia, where she won the title of 2020 & 2021 High School Sportswoman of the Year. Evan Schwickerath has been focused on swimming in the past but is now turning to row for the next phase of her athletic career with Iowa.
Abby Ensenberger comes from a similar background as a swimmer, while Lauren Adams has been competing in volleyball and track & field until now. Garbutt believes that the newcomers will come in with the team’s outlook and approach.
A look at the Iowa rowing roster confirms that as well as these new members mentioned earlier, we’ll be seeing the likes of Libby Anderson, Ava Ashworth, and Erin Barry competing for the Hawkeyes this season.
Alongside Garbutt in the coaching team are the likes of associate head coach Megan Fitzpatrick, assistant coaches Katie Thurstin and Lowell McNicholas, and graduate assistant Katie Pearson. So it’s a mixture of old and new faces all over the team and staff.
Joining our Class of '27!
Welcome 𝗘𝗺𝗺𝗮 𝗧𝗮𝘁𝗲 to the #Hawkeyes Family💛🖤#FightForIowa pic.twitter.com/YBSW6iqhyy
— Iowa Rowing (@iowarowing) December 14, 2022
The Big Ten Invitational – April 7/8, Sarasota, Florida
As for the Big Ten Invitational this year, it will be held over April 7 and 8, with the setting in Sarasota, Florida. This regatta sees a total of 16 women’s rowing teams coming together for a championship-level event.
All eight of the programs from the Big Ten will be taking part this year, together with representatives from the ACC, the PAC-12, the Ivy League, the SEC, and the PAC-12. Look out for the full schedule and the list of competing teams nearer to the date.
Big Ten Double Dual – Kansas City, Kansas, April 15
The home of the University of Kansas rowing team will be the venue for this Double Dual event in mid-April.
This type of event is where three teams compete together but the name of the third team isn’t yet listed at the time of writing. Both the Hawkeyes and the Jayhawks have the event listed on their own sites but with few extra details just now.
Lake Wheeler Invitational, Raleigh, NC, April 21 & 22
A selection of nationally ranked rowing teams will be heading to Wheeler Lake in Raleigh in April. This year, the Iowa team will be included in the list. The Lake Wheeler Invitational is a two-day event that has been run annually at this scenic venue since the inaugural regatta took place in 2019.
Duke won the Pocock Cups event in the first couple of years and will be keen to become regatta champion once again in 2023. Among the most important visitor information, we can see that parking costs $20 for each vehicle.
Fearless Friday let’s go 🚨🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/AfoDaELEjw
— Iowa Rowing (@iowarowing) December 2, 2022
The Big Ten Championships – The Indianapolis Rowing Center, Eagle Creek Reservoir on May 14
The Big Ten Championship returns to the Indianapolis Rowing Center at Eagle Creek Reservoir in 2023. All eight teams are expected to compete in 2023, with Iowa being joined by Minnesota, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Rutgers. This means that all of the Big Ten programs will once again be represented when it takes place on May 14.
In the spectator FAQ for this event, we can see useful information such as the fact that it’s free to attend.
The only fee is for on-site parking, which is charged at $5 for Marion County Residents and $6 for everyone else attending the championships. Visitors can take their tents there and will also be able to buy Big Ten merchandise such as t-shirts.
Last year we saw the Ohio State Buckeyes claim their tenth title, which earned them automatic entry to the 2022 NCAA Championships. The Big Ten Network offered coverage online last year and there was also content on the FOX Sports app, but it hasn’t yet been confirmed what options will be available for spectators who want to watch from home or on their mobile device this time.
The NCAA Championships – May 26-28, Camden, New Jersey
Camden in New Jersey is to be the site of the 2023 NCAA Championships. This event will take place between May 26 and 28 this year. The 2022 version saw Ohio State, Michigan, and Rutgers all invited from the Big Ten. In total, 22 teams take part and they each need to supply a couple of boats of eight rowers as well as a boat of four rowers. All 22 teams then take part in each of the three races held over the three days.
The Big Ten teams have been competing in this rowing championship since 2000. In that time, they’ve collected several NCAA titles. Ohio State has been far ahead of the rest in this respect, with Iowa still looking to claim its first NCAA title. Michigan and Minnesota are the other Big Ten programs with an NCAA title to their name to date.
With a variety of big events to look forward to and a mixture of new and unfamiliar faces on the roster, it should be an interesting rowing season for supporters of the Iowa Hawkeyes. It remains to be seen how successful they will be this year. But what seems certain is that we get to see some exciting events and hopefully some memorable triumphs for Iowa.
One month until Florida & Winter Training! ⏰ pic.twitter.com/oUcHMAZzQM
— Iowa Rowing (@iowarowing) December 7, 2022
Credits on Featured Image: Jon Fravel/Flickr Creative Commons License
