GOLD RIVER, Calif. – Seattle Pacific's rowing season ended abruptly Saturday when extreme windy conditions forced the cancellation of afternoon racing on Lake Natoma at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships.
 
Prior to the suspension of racing, the Falcons men's and women's novice four crews each registered a third-place finish in morning heat races. They both finished one place away from qualifying for Sunday's grand finals.
 
Instead, the SPU crews qualified for the petite finals that were scheduled for Saturday afternoon. But the wind started gusting up to 25-miles-per-hour at around 12:30 p.m., creating dangerous conditions on the course. The third- and petite-final races were cancelled and will not be contested Sunday either. Only grand finals will be conducted on the second day of the regatta.
 
The Falcons first-year women's four was in the critical second-place qualifying position for most of the first half of their heat before being overtaken by UC Santa Barbara near the 1,000-meter mark. The Gauchos continued to gradually pull farther away from SPU.
 
Oregon went wire-to-wire, rapidly gaining an open-water advantage on the field at the start en route to an impressive 22-second triumph in the first novice four heat. The Ducks clocked a time of 8 minutes, 25.10 seconds followed by Santa Barbara in 8:47.10. The Falcons crossed the finish line in 9:10.10, well ahead of fourth-place Chico State (9:22.70), Santa Clara (9:35.60) and UC San Diego (9:54.70).
 
SPU's women's crew was comprised of coxswain Kaley Turner along with rowers Moriah Sisk, Abby Kopack, Natalie Beall and Emma Johnson.
 
The Falcons four-oared men's novice boat was in third place for most of the race and edged early leader UC Irvine by a deck to finish in that position.
 
UC Santa Barbara surged past Santa Clara with 500 meters to go and held on to win the initial men's novice four heat by two seats with a time of 7:34.40. The runner-up Broncos had a time of 7:35.10 to joi n UCSB in the grand final field.
 
The SPU men completed the 2,000-meter course in 7:47.10 despite windy conditions that caused choppy water. UC Irvine placed a close fourth (7:47.60) followed by Washington State (8:13.20) and Chapman (9:32.10).
 
The Falcons first-year crew featured coxswain Samuel Taylor, who directed a boat rowed by Cody Riggs, Arthur Emmons, Zach Johnston and Jake Shelton.
 
The WIRA Championship was the final regatta of the 2016 campaign for the SPU rowers.
 
"No petite finals will be run tomorrow either, so we're done for the season," said SPU coach Keith Jefferson of Saturday's cancellation due to high winds.
 
"This is a very disappointing end to the season to say the least. But this is part of rebuilding, the long, slow, trudging, rebuilding process."
 
 
NCAA Rowing
WIRA Championships
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Lake Natoma / Gold River, Calif.
(all races 2,000 meters)
 
HEAT RESULTS
 
Women's Novice Four – Heat I
1, Oregon, 8:25.10
2, UC Santa Barbara, 8:47.10
3, Seattle Pacific, 9:10.10
4, Chico State, 9:22.70
5, Santa Clara, 9:35.60
6, UC San Diego, 9:54.70
 
    SPU lineup: cox–Kaley Turner, stroke-Moriah Sisk, 3–Abby Kopack, 2–Natalie Beall, bow–Emma Johnson.
 
 
Men's Novice Four – Heat I
1, UC Santa Barbara, 7:34.40
2, Santa Clara, 7:35.10
3, Seattle Pacific, 7:47.10
4, UC Irvine, 7:47.60
5, Washington State, 8:13.20
6, Chapman, 9:32.10
 
    SPU lineup: cox–Samuel Taylor, stroke–Cody Riggs, 3–Arthur Emmons, 2–Logan Bryan, bow–Jake Shelton.