College rowing/training stuff

Question
QUESTION: I am a male junior, 5'11 155 lbs. I started erging in December and I actually really enjoyed it. I now row for my school team and enjoy it and am set up to row for a summer program and I will likely be able to get some big races in during the fall. I have always wanted to go to the Ivies- especially Yale- and now I really want to row lightweight in college because I know that I have fallen in love with it and I hope that I can also use it to get into an Ivy through athletic recruitment. My SAT and GPA are within range(2240 and 3.95 respectively) but that is probably not good enough to get admitted to Yale in itself. In March I had my 2K down to 6:59, an improvement of 27 seconds since December(I took a 1500M test like a week later for my school team and got 5:10). I've read that 6:45 2K seems to be the benchmark for lightweight Ivies(obviously on water achievements up the gazoo are needed to). My first question is when is that 6:45 needed to be achieved in order to be "good enough" for recruitment. My second question is I have read about coaches being able to tag guys that they couldnt quite recruit but still want, how good should I be to get tagged? My third question, being that I am spending this spring season mostly learning how to row and so I am not getting as intense workouts in as I did during the winter, would ergging on my own for intense workouts be too much, I was a competitive distance runner up until the fall and I know a bit about stress fractures, can something similar occur with rowing and if so how much training is too much because I really want to get down to that 6:45 and get recruited to an Ivy no matter how hard I have to work but at the same time I don't want to injure myself in the process and kill my chances altogether.
I really appreciate any answers you can give me

ANSWER: Hi Ben:For college-age (19-29) lightweights, 6:45 is in the 75th percentile.  6:30 puts you in the Top-10%.  I'd say that 6:45 + Strong resume of racing success will get you into an Ivy Program (your grades seem to be up to stndards).  6:30 or better is good enough where a good coach will take a chance on a raw recruit, because you can't teach 6:30 but you can teach rowing form.

The 2nd question is highly subjective, based on the coach.  Some coaches emphasize erg, other coaches on-water success, still others consider multiple factors.

On question 3, I think doing your best during the on-water training should be first and foremost.  What sense is it to do a grueling erg workout on Thursday evening that keeps you fatigued for your race on Saturday.  Just follow your coach's training regimen, and then go all out during the off-season.

Good Luck/AP

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: On a different note real quick... I have been traininig on a Concept2 Model B. I notice a big difference between that and Model D's especially in that the Model D's require a lower stroke rate to hold a pace whereas I need to keep a pretty high stroke rate on the Model B. The Model B has served me well thus far, but is it time to get a new erg or is there really no difference when it comes to training. I also notice that the Model B is harder to pull than the Model D set to 4 or 5 on the fan and I'm not sure if this helps me or hurts me... So overall should I upgrade to a Model D?

Answer
Hi Again: I'd say if you were just using the erg for conditioning and exercise, the Model B would be fine.  But if you are serious about competing, you should have the most current ergometer, especially if you feel you can pull a better 2K with the Model D.  Of course, upgrade only if it is affordable.

Regards/AP