SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Seattle Pacific's varsity eight crew placed third in heat racing Saturday to earn a berth into the NCAA Division II grand final event at the 45th-annual San Diego Crew Classic on Mission Bay.

The Falcons top eight-oared crew, directed by sophomore coxswain Jacqueline Kemp, completed the 2,000-meter Mission Bay course in 7-minutes, 21.13-seconds. They clinched the final qualifying berth by crossing the finish line over two boat lengths ahead of the California lightweight boat, which clocked a time of 7:29.35.
 
UC San Diego won that second heat in 7:16.04, followed by Purdue in 7:17.64. SPU trailed those two by a bit of open water.
 
That trio earned spots into Sunday's grand final and will be joined by the top-three finishers from the first heat.
 
SPU's time was several seconds faster than all of the entries in the other heat, won by Grand Valley State in 7:26.02. UC Davis (7:38.08) and Calgary (7:55.89) also advance from that race.
 
Fourth-place finisher Cal State Long Beach (8:13.81) will square off with California in the petite final for varsity eights.
 
The SPU crew will race in the six-boat petite final on Sunday at 8:40 a.m. Pacific Time. The Falcons will row in lane 5, flanked by UC Davis (4) and Calgary (6). UC San Diego starts out of Lane 1, Grand Valley in Lane 2 and Purdue in Lane 3.
 
Sitting in the stroke seat of the SPU shell is sophomore Chloe Remley, a product of High Tech High School in San Diego. She has extensive Crew Classic racing experience, including rowing last year with the Falcons. They placed sixth in heat racing and third in the 2017 petite final.
 
Also in action Sunday will be Seattle Pacific's varsity four boat.
 
With just six crews entered in that Division II varsity event, the Falcons four did not race on Saturday. They will compete in the grand final on Sunday at 11:48 a.m.
 
SPU starts in Lane 2, between UC San Diego in Lane 1 and UC Davis in Lane 3. The Calgary four rows in Lane 4 and a second UC San Diego entry lines up in Lane 5.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S ROWING
San Diego Crew Classic
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Mission Bay / San Diego, Calif.
(2,000 meters, only event with SPU entry listed)
 
Results
Women's Division II varsity eight (heat 1)
1, Grand Valley State, 7:26.02
2, UC Davis, 7:38.08
3, Calgary, 7:55.89
4, Cal State Long Beach, 8:13.81
 
Women's Division II varsity eight (heat 2)
1, UC San Diego, 7:16.04
2, Purdue, 7:17.64
3, Seattle Pacific, 7:21.13
4, California (lightweight), 7:29.35
 
      SPU varsity eight lineup:  cox–Jacqueline Kemp, stroke-Chloe Remley, 7-Kaitlin Dickinson, 6-Gillian Edgar, 5-Suzanne Stafford, 4-Megan Chalfant, 3-Samantha Kimmel, 2-Natalie Beall, bow-Amanda Larsen.
 
 
Sunday, March 25 Schedule
(events with SPU entries only)
 
8:32 a.m. – Women's D-II varsity eight (petite final)
Lane 1-California (lightweight), 2-Long Beach State.
 
8:40 a.m. – Women's D-II varsity eight (grand final)
Lane 1-UC San Diego, 2-Grand Valley State, 3-Purdue, 4-UC Davis, 5-Seattle Pacific, 6-Calgary.
 
11:48 p.m. – Women's D-II varsity four (grand final)
Lane 1-UC San Diego, 2-Seattle Pacific, 3-UC Davis, 4-Calgary, 5-UC San Diego "B".