• 2010 WIRA Finals results (pdf)

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. – Sixth-ranked Seattle Pacific rowed to an open-water triumph in the women's varsity eight race Sunday, winning its second title in three years at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships on Lake Natoma.

The Falcons top crew also captured the regional crown in 2008 and placed third last season.

“That was great stuff. They were confident and had a very good time in these conditions,” said SPU coach Keith Jefferson. “They had the worst water of the day, it was heinous.”

Powerful crosswinds slowed finish times, but didn't stop the strong SPU crew. The Falcons were slow off the line and rowed in fourth place early before picking up the pace and rapidly reeling in the field. They moved to the front by the halfway point and gained separation over the final 1,000 meters.

The winning time of 7:17.0 was over four seconds faster than the runner-up mark of 7:21.2 turned in by Willamette. Humboldt State finished a close third in 7:21.7, followed by Orange Coast College (7:32.4), UC Santa Barbara (7:39.7) and Lewis & Clark (7:44.0).

“They got pushed a little bit throughout the race by Humboldt State and Willamette. It's usual championship stuff where you see a lot of people gunning for you in that first thousand,” Jefferson described. “But they got to the front and just slowly started to lengthen the lead in the second thousand. By the time they hit the sprint they really opened it up.

“I'm sure it probably wasn't as clean as yesterday. Yesterday was almost more important than today because of the sub-7:00 time on this course, as least from and NCAA perspective.”

SPU prevailed Sunday under difficult conditions, one day after clocking their fastest time of the season. Ideal weather on Saturday enabled the Falcons to break the seven-minute barrier for the first time in 2010 en route to a nine-second heat victory and speedy mark of 6:56.1 over the 2,000-meter course.

SPU would like to return to Lake Natoma, which plays host to the NCAA Rowing Championships from May 28-30. The Falcons travel to Philadelphia next weekend for the Dad Vail Regatta, the final opportunity to show the selection committee that they are worthy of an at-large invitation to the six-boat NCAA Division II field.

The Falcons now have a stellar time on the championship course and a West region title on their resume for the selectors to consider. They were the women's varsity eight bronze medalist at the 2009 NCAA Championships.

SPU had two other crews competing in grand final races Sunday. The women's varsity four finished fifth with a time of 8:20.0. Willamette won the race in 7:53.8, followed by UC Santa Barbara (7:50.8), Humboldt State (7:54.0) and Portland (8:05.6).

“They were disappointed not to place higher, but they did just fine as far as I'm concerned, especially for such a young group. They just really hung in there,” said Jefferson. “They had a good race and finished only two seconds slower than they did yesterday. Everybody else in other races really slowed down a lot from Saturday.”

There was one lone men's entry in the Falcons' three-boat fleet. That four-oared lightweight crew registered a fourth-place time of 7:20.2. Sonoma State crossed the finish line in 7:09.0 to claim the lightweight title. Pacific Lutheran placed second in 7:12.3 and Western Washington had a third-place time of 7:15.6.

The Falcons finished over 16 seconds ahead of fifth-place finisher Long Beach State (7:36.5), while Pacific was sixth (7:43.4).


Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Lake Natoma/Rancho Cordova, Calif.
(all races were 2,000 meters)

GRAND FINAL RESULTS

Women's Varsity Eight
1, Seattle Pacific, 7:17.0
2, Willamette, 7:21.2
3, Humboldt State, 7:21.7
4, Orange Coast College, 7:32.4
5, UC Santa Barbara, 7:39.7
6, Lewis & Clark, 7:44.0


Women's Varsity Four
1, Willamette, 7:53.8
2, UC Santa Barbara, 7:50.8
3, Humboldt State, 7:54.0
4, Portland, 8:05.6
5, Seattle Pacific, 8:20.0
6, UC Irvine, disqualified


Men's Lightweight Four
1, Sonoma State, 7:09.0
2, Pacific Lutheran, 7:12.3
3, Western Washington, 7:15.6
4, Seattle Pacific, 7:20.2
5, Long Beach State, 7:36.5
6, Pacific, 7:43.4