COLTON, Wash. – The cross-state trip proved productive for the Seattle Pacific women, who had two crews credited with first-place finishes on Sunday at the WSU Regatta on the Snake River.
 
The Falcons were the only NCAA Division II competitors at Wawawai Landing in the field that included Division I teams from Gonzaga, Loyola Marymount, Oregon State and host Washington State. Some crews from those schools competed in two races, exhibitioning in the second so no times were recorded for them.
 
"It was a great day. It was really good experience for our team to line up against such high quality opponents," said third-year SPU coach Andrew Derrick. "We're really grateful for the opportunity to get to race there and our athletes really enjoyed getting to compete at a high level."
 
Varsity Four
Seattle Pacific's four-oared boat embarked on its maiden voyage of the 2019 spring season. It was a successful debut.
 
Five varsity four crews competed, with one WSU and two Oregon State entries racing in an exhibition capacity.
 
The Falcons were first across the finish line among counting crews, posting a time of 7:46.70. They handily defeated Loyola Marymount, which was four lengths back in 8:01.21.
 
"The four did a great job," Derrick exclaimed. "They have really come together and they are clicking. They've got a little special speed going on in that boat. They've just got something working for them pretty well and we're really excited about them."
 
Sophomore coxswain Roxy Ruther directed the boat comprised of rowers Amanda Larsen, Samantha Kimmel, Jennifer Hoag and Talia Ferguson.
 
Varsity Eight
SPU's best performance may have come in a runner-up result among counting crews. The five-boat varsity eight field featured WSU, Gonzaga and OSU crews that were not factored into the final results.
 
The Falcons battled Loyola down the length of the 2,000-meter course, finishing just three seats back, in 6:59.5. The Lions time was 6:58.7.
 
"We're really proud of that," said Derrick of the tight finish with Loyola. "We want to learn how to come up with the win on the close races, but bottom line we're really proud of the effort the varsity eight put in.
 
"Last year I don't think we would have been nearly this close with any of those schools, including LMU. Hats off to LMU. They had tough travel, their head coach didn't make the trip and they were in borrowed equipment. So they had a few things going against them for sure."
 
Six crew members return from last season's SPU varsity eight, including junior coxswain Jacqueline Kemp. The five returning rowers are Chloe Remley, Gillian Edgar, Megan Chalfant, Suzanne Stafford and Kaitlin Dickinson.
 
Second Varsity Eight
The busiest crew in the Falcons fleet was their second-varsity entry, which competed in both the third varsity and novice eight races.
 
Their first outing was a tough task, rowing against a pair of third-varsity crews from Pac-12 powers. The Cougars crossed first with a winning time of 7:02.62, owning open water ahead of Oregon State. The Beavers finished in 7:13.25, just over 13 seconds faster than SPU, which had a time of 7:26.35.
 
Cecilia Krause helmed that crew and Lakyn Coppedge occupied the bow seat.
 
Less than two hours later SPU's second varsity took to the water again to race Washington State's second novice crew. In a pre-planned change, LeeAnn Arrington assumed the coxswain spot and Emily Geringer moved into the bow while the rest of the rowers remained in the same seats.
 
The Falcons were convincing victors, registering a time of 7:15.04 with WSU was a distant second in 7:34.74.
 
"We made two personnel changes, so it wasn't quite the exact same boat. It was almost a novice eight in the second race with just two returning varsity members," Derrick said. "They just did a great job.
 
"They went out really aggressive in the first piece and paid a little bit of a price for it late in that race, but they showed a little bit more of what they can do. Then they rowed a more composed race in the last race of the day."
 
No Rest for Rowers
Coach Derrick was particularly pleased with Sunday's performances from his crews since this has been an intense week of practice. The rest of the SPU campus was on Spring Break so the crews practiced twice on a few days.
 
"We're coming off spring training two-a-days and we did a lot of volume this week, so I know we're pretty tired. The bottom line is that we're really, really proud of the effort and the execution that all of our boats put in."
 
Next Regatta
The Seattle Pacific crews remain in Seattle to compete in the Husky Open on Saturday. Racing begins at 8 a.m. in the Montlake Cut.
 
 
NCAA Women's Rowing
WSU Regatta
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Wawawai Landing / Colton, Wash.
(all races 2,000 meters, only SPU events listed)
 
Varsity Eights
1, Loyola Marymount, 6:58.7
2, Seattle Pacific, 6:59.5
 
     SPU lineup: cox-Jacqueline Kemp, stroke-Chloe Remley, 7-Gillian Edgar, 6-Megan Chalfant, 5-Suzane Stafford, 4-Julienne Renne, 3-Shelby Janes, 2-Brooklyn Liberato, bow-Kaitlin Dickinson.
 
 
Varsity Fours
1, Seattle Pacific, 7:46.70
2, Loyola Marymount, 8:02.21
 
     SPU lineup: cox-Roxy Ruther, stroke-Amanda Larsen, 3-Samantha Kimmel, 2-Jennifer Hoag, bow-Talia Ferguson.
 
 
Third Varsity Eights
1, Washington State, 7:02.62
2, Oregon State, 7:13.25
3, Seattle Pacific 2V, 7:26.35
 
     SPU second varsity eight lineup: cox-Cecilia Krause, stroke-Madison Simmons, 7-Gracie Hoidal, 6-Katy Beth Smith, 5-Haley Thompson, 4-Anna White, 3-Tamyra Clark-Hoogstrate, 2-Danielle Johnson, bow-Lakyn Coppedge.
 
 
Novice Eights
1, Seattle Pacific, 7:15.04
2, Washington State, 2N8, 7:34.74
 
     SPU second varsity eight lineup: cox-LeeAnn Arrington, stroke-Madison Simmons, 7-Gracie Hoidal, 6-Katy Beth Smith, 5-Haley Thompson, 4-Anna White, 3-Tamyra Clark-Hoogstrate, 2-Danielle Johnson, bow-Emily Geringer.