University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, October 31
Madison, WI
11:00 AM
University of Minnesota
at
Wisconsin
Photo by: Mac Brown
10/30/2026 1:15:00 PM | Rowing
Halloween racing in Madison
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota rowing team is set to travel to Wisconsin for a Halloween scrimmage with the Badgers on Saturday. Weather permitting, the racing will take place starting at 11 a.m. and go across Lake Mendota after launching from Porter Boathouse.
The scrimmage will feature two levels of competition, beginning with the Varsity races followed by the Novice boats. The crews will first compete in a 5,000-meter head race against the clock before shifting to 1,000-meter side-by-side sprints, giving crews a chance to go head-to-head against each other.
Spectators are allowed to watch the races with viewing areas at Porter Boathouse, Memorial Union and on the shores of Lake Mendota.
Minnesota's Lineup (subject to change)
1V8: Ashley Ohlemacher (cox), Paige Keller, Jaden Deutscher, Emma Herstad, Kimberly Klassen, Emilie Rish, Kylie Mong, Sophia Pirigyi, Chloe Petersen
2V8: Radhika Ajmera (cox), Madeline Fincham, Danna Strohsack, Mary Jane DeWeerdt, Alexa Fauson, Emily Franke, Josefine Freltoft, Immy Lovatt, Lauren Fiddy
3V8: Shelby Kaplan/Amelia Vedder (cox), Kate Fitzpatrick, Lexi Storey, Lidia Markiewicz, Courtney Hislop, Sienna Hubbard, Abby Schroeder, Amélie Bolt, Viktoria Lapikof
4V8: Katherine Bixby/Hema Chanamolu (cox), Victoria Knoll, Sydney Loehrl, Madison Corn, Audrey Zimmerman, Sara Pfeiffer, Kayla Pearce, Ellison Northrop-Kiel, Caroline Johnson
1N8: Heidi Beck (cox), Avery Daniels, Jadyn Gilbert, Abby McNutt, Kiera Keene, Samantha Burd, Elsa Myers, Madeleine Bonnett, Amari Elling
2N8: Livie McNeeley (cox), Justyne Higman, Makayla Preuss, Maddie Hall, Bekah Kangas, Alivia Greenisen, Alexandra Balakirev, Lana Burr, Fiona Robertson
Last Time on the Water
Minnesota rowing opened its 2026-27 season at the 46th Head of the Mississippi Regatta on Oct. 3, earning five victories across six events despite choppy conditions. The Gophers swept the top three spots in the Women's Collegiate 4+ and claimed a decisive win in the Women's Collegiate Freshman 8+, finishing nearly 90 seconds ahead of second-place Creighton. Minnesota also won the Women's Open 2x and Women's Open 2- events. The Maroon and Gold closed the regatta in dominant fashion, recording the four fastest times in the Women's Collegiate 8+. The top boat finished the nearly three-mile course in 15:36.745 to secure the victory.
Gophers Name 2026-27 Team Captains
Minnesota rowing has named seniors Josefine Freltoft (Copenhagen, Denmark) and Kimberly Klassen (Melrose, Minn.), along with junior Emma Herstad (Hermantown, Minn.), team captains for 2026-27. Freltoft returns to a leadership role after serving as a captain last season, while Herstad and Klassen will make their debuts in the position this year. The trio will provide valuable leadership and guidance for the entire Gophers' roster and will help set the tone for the season.
Veteran Lineup
Minnesota enters the 2026-27 season with a veteran-heavy roster, featuring 15 seniors, most of whom have spent all four years of their collegiate careers wearing Maroon and Gold. That experience provides the Gophers with a strong foundation, particularly among the coxswains. Three seniors, Radhika Ajmera, Shelby Kaplan and Ashley Ohlemacher, will help lead the coxswain group, bringing valuable experience and leadership to the boats throughout the campaign.
Coach Strodel Extended
Over the summer, head coach Alicea Strodel agreed to a contract extension that will keep her with the Golden Gophers through the 2029-30 season. She has guided Minnesota rowing for the past seven seasons and under her direction, the program has consistently competed among the Big Ten's top programs, highlighted by a fifth-place finish at the 2024 Big Ten Championship. That was the program's best finish at the conference championship since 2015. Strodel has also helped the Gophers succeed in the classroom where a total of 93 student-athletes earned CRCA Scholar-Athlete honors, while the team has landed 231 Academic All-Big Ten selections and 109 Big Ten Distinguished Scholars during her time on campus.
Hall of Fame Induction for Coach Strodel
Head coach Alicea Strodel was inducted into the Syracuse Alumni Rowing Association Hall of Fame during its annual Evening at Ten Eyck earlier this month. Strodel and her former teammates on Syracuse's 2001 women's varsity eight were honored as the only women's boat in program history to reach the NCAA Championship Grand Finals. Rowing in the six seat, she helped lead the Orange to a perfect 8-0 season that year. She also helped Syracuse make three NCAA Championship appearances and win two BIG EAST Challenges.
The scrimmage will feature two levels of competition, beginning with the Varsity races followed by the Novice boats. The crews will first compete in a 5,000-meter head race against the clock before shifting to 1,000-meter side-by-side sprints, giving crews a chance to go head-to-head against each other.
Spectators are allowed to watch the races with viewing areas at Porter Boathouse, Memorial Union and on the shores of Lake Mendota.
Minnesota's Lineup (subject to change)
1V8: Ashley Ohlemacher (cox), Paige Keller, Jaden Deutscher, Emma Herstad, Kimberly Klassen, Emilie Rish, Kylie Mong, Sophia Pirigyi, Chloe Petersen
2V8: Radhika Ajmera (cox), Madeline Fincham, Danna Strohsack, Mary Jane DeWeerdt, Alexa Fauson, Emily Franke, Josefine Freltoft, Immy Lovatt, Lauren Fiddy
3V8: Shelby Kaplan/Amelia Vedder (cox), Kate Fitzpatrick, Lexi Storey, Lidia Markiewicz, Courtney Hislop, Sienna Hubbard, Abby Schroeder, Amélie Bolt, Viktoria Lapikof
4V8: Katherine Bixby/Hema Chanamolu (cox), Victoria Knoll, Sydney Loehrl, Madison Corn, Audrey Zimmerman, Sara Pfeiffer, Kayla Pearce, Ellison Northrop-Kiel, Caroline Johnson
1N8: Heidi Beck (cox), Avery Daniels, Jadyn Gilbert, Abby McNutt, Kiera Keene, Samantha Burd, Elsa Myers, Madeleine Bonnett, Amari Elling
2N8: Livie McNeeley (cox), Justyne Higman, Makayla Preuss, Maddie Hall, Bekah Kangas, Alivia Greenisen, Alexandra Balakirev, Lana Burr, Fiona Robertson
Last Time on the Water
Minnesota rowing opened its 2026-27 season at the 46th Head of the Mississippi Regatta on Oct. 3, earning five victories across six events despite choppy conditions. The Gophers swept the top three spots in the Women's Collegiate 4+ and claimed a decisive win in the Women's Collegiate Freshman 8+, finishing nearly 90 seconds ahead of second-place Creighton. Minnesota also won the Women's Open 2x and Women's Open 2- events. The Maroon and Gold closed the regatta in dominant fashion, recording the four fastest times in the Women's Collegiate 8+. The top boat finished the nearly three-mile course in 15:36.745 to secure the victory.
Gophers Name 2026-27 Team Captains
Minnesota rowing has named seniors Josefine Freltoft (Copenhagen, Denmark) and Kimberly Klassen (Melrose, Minn.), along with junior Emma Herstad (Hermantown, Minn.), team captains for 2026-27. Freltoft returns to a leadership role after serving as a captain last season, while Herstad and Klassen will make their debuts in the position this year. The trio will provide valuable leadership and guidance for the entire Gophers' roster and will help set the tone for the season.
Veteran Lineup
Minnesota enters the 2026-27 season with a veteran-heavy roster, featuring 15 seniors, most of whom have spent all four years of their collegiate careers wearing Maroon and Gold. That experience provides the Gophers with a strong foundation, particularly among the coxswains. Three seniors, Radhika Ajmera, Shelby Kaplan and Ashley Ohlemacher, will help lead the coxswain group, bringing valuable experience and leadership to the boats throughout the campaign.
Coach Strodel Extended
Over the summer, head coach Alicea Strodel agreed to a contract extension that will keep her with the Golden Gophers through the 2029-30 season. She has guided Minnesota rowing for the past seven seasons and under her direction, the program has consistently competed among the Big Ten's top programs, highlighted by a fifth-place finish at the 2024 Big Ten Championship. That was the program's best finish at the conference championship since 2015. Strodel has also helped the Gophers succeed in the classroom where a total of 93 student-athletes earned CRCA Scholar-Athlete honors, while the team has landed 231 Academic All-Big Ten selections and 109 Big Ten Distinguished Scholars during her time on campus.
Hall of Fame Induction for Coach Strodel
Head coach Alicea Strodel was inducted into the Syracuse Alumni Rowing Association Hall of Fame during its annual Evening at Ten Eyck earlier this month. Strodel and her former teammates on Syracuse's 2001 women's varsity eight were honored as the only women's boat in program history to reach the NCAA Championship Grand Finals. Rowing in the six seat, she helped lead the Orange to a perfect 8-0 season that year. She also helped Syracuse make three NCAA Championship appearances and win two BIG EAST Challenges.
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