• VIDEO: Assistant Coach Matt  Oclander
 
SEATTLE -- Thirteen novices, six of them from the state of Washington, have joined the Seattle Pacific rowing team, Head Coach Andrew Derrick announced.
 
All of the newcomers are freshmen. Those 12 rowers, along with coxswain Karina Sapozhnikova, join an experienced team that returns 12 of the 14 athletes that competed at the 2019 NCAA Division II Championships. The Falcons finished fourth in the final team standings at the national regatta fueled by fourth-place performances from both their varsity eight and varsity four crews.

 

"We're excited about that group. It's the best novice tryout group that we've had and we had the fewest number of roster spots available," exclaimed Derrick, who begins his fourth season at the SPU helm. "The team depth is really great this year and we're excited to see where the novices can work their way into spots by springtime."
 
Sapozhnikova is joined among novices by Wenatchee (Wash.) High School classmate Inna Nikishina.
 
Other newcomers from Washington state include Emma Chilcote (Okanogan HS), Rachel Hollenbeak (Battle Ground/Prairie HS), Katie Honsinger (Everett/homeschool) and Kendal Tillett (Spokane/Rogers HS).
 
A quartet of novices hail from California: Lydia Huizenga (Marin/Redwood HS), Macie Leach (Chico/Pleasant Valley HS), Nicole Svoboda (La Quinta HS) and Cait Wade (Felton/Lorenzo Valley HS).
 
Two of the incoming rowers are from Oregon: Maddy Johnson (Portland/Grant HS) and Kalais Samuelson (Beaverton/Sunset HS).
 
Jacinta Grandel joins the Falcons from Rosary High School in Palmer, Alaska.
 
ASSISTANT COACH MATT OCLANDER INTERVIEW

Several of these novice rowers have never before pulled an oar, which is not uncommon for collegiate rowing. Many of the most successful rowers were high school standouts in other sports.
 
The SPU coaches put them through a crash course in Rowing 101, beginning with the fundamental techniques.
 
"I really enjoy the process," Derrick describes of instructing true novice rowers. "It's a lot easier to teach somebody the right way rather than trying to break bad habits. The equalizer is you can teach a good athlete how to be a good rower fairly easily. But teaching somebody how to really be an athlete first is a lot harder.
 
"We really look for good athletes who are no longer competing in their sport for one reason or another, and we can get them to be good rowers pretty quick."
 
Some of the Falcons novices will compete on Sunday at the Head of the Lake Regatta. Racing begins at 8 a.m. over a three-mile course that starts in Lake Union and runs through the Montlake Cut.
 
Derrick promotes a process-oriented approach during the fall, seeking to set the stage for positive results in the spring championship season.
 
"They novices may be lost and confused and that's totally to be expected. We just want to give them the opportunity to see where they're at and know that we're going to face a lot of these teams on more equal footing come springtime.
 
"The quarter system really hurts our novice system here, but we do a good job of catching up and putting in the work and being ready to go for March."
 
The 13 novices are not the only new faces in the SPU boathouse as two assistant coaches have joined the staff.
 
Former Falcons men's rower Matt Oclander will serve in an assistant coaching position and Karin Derrick is the new recruiting coordinator.
 
 
2019-20 SPU Women's Rowing Novice Roster
Name                      Hgt.  Year   Hometown (High School)
Emma Chilcote             5-9    Fr.   Okanogan, WA (Okanogan)
Jacinta Grandel           5-11   Fr.   Palmer, AK (Rosary)
Rachel Hollenbeak         5-4    Fr.   Battle Ground, WA (Prairie)
Katie Honsinger           5-7    Fr.   Everett, WA (homeschool)
Lydia Huizenga            5-11   Fr.   Marin, CA (Redwood)
Maddy Johnson             5-5    Fr.   Portland, OR (Grant)
Macie Leach               5-9    Fr.   Chico, CA (Pleasant Valley)
Inna Nikishina            5-7    Fr.   Wenatchee, WA (Wenatchee)
Kalais Samuelson          5-11   Fr.   Beaverton, OR (Sunset)
*Karina Sapozhnikova      4-11   Fr.   Wenatchee, WA (Wenatchee)
Nicole Svoboda            6-0    Fr.   La Quinta, CA (La Quinta)
Kendal Tillett            5-11   Fr.   Spokane, WA (Rogers)
Cait Wade                 5-2    Fr.   Felton, CA (Lorenzo Valley)
 
   * coxswain