• 2017 Windermere Cup results (pdf)

SEATTLE – The Falcons finished their 2017 women's rowing campaign in fine fashion.
 
Seattle Pacific's varsity eight crew registered a second-place performance in their only race Saturday at the 31st-annual Windermere Cup Regatta on the Montlake Cut in their final competition of the season.
 
The University of Washington-hosted event has become one of the world's premier rowing showcases. Opening Day usually conflicts with the WIRA Championship, so SPU is rarely available to participate. This was the Falcons first Windermere Cup appearance since 2011 as the WIRA event was conducted last weekend.
 
"It was a great experience for the girls. They were all smiles and had a great time," said Andy Derrick, who finished his first season as head coach of the Falcons.
 
"They were definitely impressed. Windermere Cup is an event that they're starting to realize just how special it is and they're going to tell the rest of the team. Hopefully next year we're in a competitive position to get more boats in and it becomes a big part of our season."
 
Washington won the event for women's open eights, completing the 2,000-meter course in 6-minutes, 35.30-seconds. The Huskies led from wire-to-wire, claiming an open-water advantage over the field during the first 500 meters and steadily adding to that margin the rest of the way.
 
The Falcons rowed in second place the entire race. They held a four-seat lead over third-place Seattle University through the opening 500 meters and gained two more seats by the midway mark. The Redhawks won one seat back by 1,500 meters, but could never get closer than the final five-seat margin during the closing sprint.
 
SPU's runner-up time was 7:05.44. Seattle University was third in 7:07.93 followed by Pacific Lutheran in fourth at 7:12.20.
 
"Any time you can get a lead and hold on to it for the majority of the race is always a good thing. We even had a cox box go out 500 meters into the race, so the girls deserve even more credit," Derrick said of a malfunction with the sound system that relays the coxswain's commands to the rowers.
 
The Falcons varsity eight featured six novice rowers in their first year of collegiate competition. The trio of veterans included seniors Paige Ortiz and Emily Monday, who wore an SPU uniform for the final time. Ortiz was given the opportunity to serve as the coxswain for this final race in place of Jacqueline Kemp, who usually directs this crew.
 
"It was a great way to cap off their season," said Derrick. "I wasn't sure how this was going to go. We had just an average week of practice and we made a couple lineup changes. But coming off a big race like the WIRA Championships for us and being able to do it again is definitely a skill that we're going to need in years to come."
 
Junior Natalie Beall is also a veteran rower in SPU's top boat. She is eligible to return next season along with novice rowers Chloe Remley, Amanda Larsen, Briana Inman, Kaitlin Dickinson, Gracie Hoidal and Hannah Hutchinson.
 
"They've had a lot of really good, impressive races considering how young they are this year. We've had 12 different girls in the varsity eight, including two girls their first time ever today," Derrick described.
 
"They continue to impress me. Obviously we have stuff we want to work on to continue to get better, but it's a really great group of athletes to build upon there."
 
The Seattle Pacific rowers were on center stage Saturday. The crews customarily compete in front of significantly smaller gatherings of family, friends and fans, rowed before thousands of spectators at the Windermere Cup Regatta.
 
Both sides of the Montlake Cut course were lined with people, on land and in yachts. The crowd was there to witness the popular rowing event that annually commences the opening day of boating season festivities in the Northwest.

 

Derrick has competed in five Windermere Cups, four of them while rowing at Washington from 2001-04 and one in an alumni race. He forewarned his Falcons about the likelihood of encountering difficult rowing conditions.
 
"I talked up how rough the water was going to be, but with the sun breaking right before the races got going the water actually really calmed down. They were pleasantly surprised at the racing conditions.
 
"All-in-all it was one of the easier Windermere Cups I've seen, in general, to race in."
 
A fitting end to Derrick's inaugural season at helm.
 
 
WINDERMERE CUP REGATTA
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Montlake Cut/Seattle, Wash.
(2,000-meter race)
 
Women's Open Eight
1, Washington, 6:35.30; 2, Seattle Pacific, 7:05.44; 3, Seattle University, 7:07.93; 4, Pacific Lutheran, 7:12.20.
 
       SPU varsity eight lineup:  cox–Paige Ortiz, stroke-Chloe Remley, 7-Amanda Larsen, 6-Briana Inman, 5-Kaitlin Dickinson, 4-Natalie Beall, 3-Gracie Hoidal, 2-Emily Monday, bow-Hannah Hutchinson.