April 23, 2008

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State's varsity eight (7-2) posted wins over Louisville and No. 15 Minnesota over the weekend, en route to claiming the Big Ten Conference's Boat of the Week honor. Michigan's varsity eight also swept the weekend outing against the Golden Gophers and Cardinals to earn a share of the weekly award.

Against the Gophers, the Spartans clocked a time of 5:44.5 in a triumph over Minnesota (5:49.9). In the second race of the day, MSU raced past the Cardinals by nearly seven seconds, finishing with a time of 5:42.32.

In addition to defeating Minnesota and Louisville, the Spartans have defeated No. 3 Brown, Indiana, No. 14 Notre Dame, Oregon State and Central Florida. MSU's losses came against No. 5 Princeton and No. 3 Virginia.

The Spartans are preparing for Big Ten Championship action on May 3 in Ann Arbor, Mich. Heading into the post-season, MSU enters the tournament as the top-ranked team with a 7-2 mark.