May 3, 2009
RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. – Both Seattle Pacific women’s crews raced to bronze-medal performances Sunday, including the fifth-ranked varsity eight boat that was third in the featured race at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships on Lake Natoma.
The women's varsity eight competition saw Puget Sound streak out to a lead out of the blocks and maintain that advantage for most of the race. Defending NCAA Division II national champion Western Washington overtook the Loggers during the final 250 meters to claim the victory. The Vikings covered the 2,000-meter course in 6-minutes, 56.2-seconds, followed by UPS in 6:57.2.
Seattle Pacific narrowed the gap on the leaders at the end and crossed the finish line in 7:01.9 to defeat fourth-place Willamette (7:06.3), Orange Coast (7:12.2) and Humboldt State (7:21.1).
“It was an outstanding performance in all respects. They rowed technically well, they executed their race plan almost flawlessly and had a great sprint,” Falcons coach Keith Jefferson said of his varsity eight crew. “I was extremely proud. With the rain and the touch of headwind in parts of this race, just over seven minutes is a good time.
“It was very positive that we were within about five seconds of Western. That was real racing, there was no slacking here. That was Western really going for it because UPS was leading them for the entire race.”
In the women’s varsity four grand final, Western Washington (7:42.9) and Colorado (7:45.3) finished one-two. A similar two-boat battle occurred for third and fourth place as SPU and Sonoma State challenged each other.
The Falcons closed on the top-two crews with a strong finishing sprint and held off Sonoma to win the varsity four bronze, clocking a time of 7:47.9. Sonoma posted a fourth-place time of 7:48.9, followed by Pacific Lutheran (7:58.8) and UC San Diego (8:03.7).
“They really worked hard and had a good race and had a very good time. This was not our normal lineup, so I'm quite pleased with what they did with minimal preparation time together,” Jefferson said. “It was kind of a crazy combination, but these girls do whatever you tell them and do it well They are a solid bunch and rowed very cleanly and very powerfully today.”
The women’s varsity eight is the only SPU boat that will continue competing this season. The Falcons eight-oared crew travels to Philadelphia, Pa. for the Dad Vail Regatta on the Schuykill River, May 8-9.
The SPU eight hopes to impress the selection committee sufficiently to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Regatta. The NCAA Championships are slated for May 29-31 on the Cooper River in Cherry Hill, N.J.
The Falcons participated at the NCAAs once before, winning the varsity eight petite final in 2007.
Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship Regatta
May 2-3, 2009
Lake Natoma; Rancho Cordova, Calif.
SUNDAY’S GRAND FINAL RESULTS
Women’s Varsity Eight
1, Western Washington, 6:56.2. 2, Puget Sound, 6:57.2. 3, Seattle Pacific, 7:01.9. 4, Willamette, 7:06.3. 5, Orange Coast, 7:12.2. 6, Humboldt State, 7:21.1.
SPU lineup: cox-Annie Mulder, stroke-Rachel Savage, 7-Emily Pitts, 6-Eleni Johnsen, 5-Katie Degner, 4-Lacey Sheridan, 3-Holly Allan, 2-Katy Stine, bow-Katja Ibsen.
Women’s Varsity Four
1, Western Washington, 7:42.9. 2, Colorado, 7:45.3. 3, Seattle Pacific 7:47.9. 4, Sonoma State, 7:48.9. 5, Pacific Lutheran, 7:58.8. 6, UC San Diego, 8:03.7.
SPU lineup: cox-Annie Mulder, stroke-Katy Stine, 3-Eleni Johnsen, 2-Kristin Lorenzen, bow-Kim Leinstock.
SATURDAY’S HEAT RESULTS
Varsity Four
1, Western Washington, 7:44.5. 2, Seattle Pacific, 7:44.9. 3, Pacific Lutheran, 7:49.2. 4, UC Santa Barbara, 7:50.9. 5, Humboldt State, 7:57.6. 6, Arizona State, 8:09.5.
Varsity Eight
1 Western Washington, 6:57.1. 2, Seattle Pacific, 7:00.5. 3, Willamette, 7:02.4. 4, UC Santa Barbara, 7:12.1. 5, Pacific Lutheran, 7:18.6. 6, Mills, 7:27.8. 7, Arizona State, 7:42.9.