Beth Smith coxed the the third-place Senior Master's Eight.

Oct. 21, 2008

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State rowing program had a strong showing last weekend at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, Mass. The Head of the Charles is the largest race in North America, as it plays host to more than 8,000 athletes and 300,000 fans every year. Four rowers with ties to MSU finished in the top 20 in their respective races, highlighted by Lisa Weise, who earned top honors in the Master's Single (under 40) division race. Weise is the wife of current Spartan head coach, Matt Weise, and is a 1992 graduate of Michigan State.

Three other Spartans rowers had successful showings at the race. Senior Katie Bitz (San Francisco, Calif.) earned fifth place in the Championship Eight race while rowing for the US Rowing Training Center. Bitz finished her collegiate career with the Spartans last season and will graduate this December with a degree in finance.

Beth Smith, a 2006 MSU graduate, was the coxswain on the third-place Senior Master's Eight as a member of the Mosman Rowing Club from Australia. As a member of the Spartan rowing program, Smith coxed the first varsity eight to a first-place finish in the Big Ten Championship grand final in 2005. That win helped propel the rowing program to a Big Ten team championship that year.

Diane Deluca, a 1982 graduate of MSU, rounds out the field of successful Spartans at the Head of the Charles. Deluca earned 20th in the Senior Master's Singles race.

The Michigan State rowing program will continue its fall schedule this weekend in their only home races of the fall. MSU will square off against Michigan,for the third time this fall in a series of controlled, novice races on the Grand River. Competition will begin Sunday morning.