• 2019 HUSKY OPEN RESULTS    |    • VIDEO: TALIA  FERGUSON

SEATTLE – Two Seattle Pacific women's crews raced to victories Saturday while the varsity eight battled to the end before being edged by Portland at the Husky Open regatta on the Montlake Cut.
 
The Falcons varsity four used an impressive surge over the final 1,000 meters to overcome a small deficit and defeat Seattle University by open water. Their third varsity eight also trailed SU at the midway mark, but ended up winning by six seats.
 
"It was a great day. The weather was phenomenal, which is always fun in our sport," exclaimed SPU coach Andrew Derrick. "I'm really proud of the effort of all four of our entries. A couple of them crossed the line first, a couple of them didn't, but put in good races.
 
"Margins matter in our sport and for our varsity eight to be nipping at the heels of Portland is a really encouraging thing. Our second varsity four had a really tough draw with three Washington boats in there, but if you compare them to the other flight they did a great job."
 
SPU's second varsity four crew had the unenviable task of racing against the top-three boats from the host Huskies. Washington claimed the first-three places with the Falcons finishing a distant fourth.
 
Varsity Eight
A two-boat race turned into a furious fight down the entire 2,000-meter course with neither team gaining as much as two seconds of separation.
 
NCAA Division I Portland opened a two-seat edge during the opening 500 meters over the Division II Falcons, who gained a similar margin by the midway mark. The Pilots moved in front again, by two seats at the 1,500-meter marker, and then held off a late SPU charge.
 
At the finish, Portland had the Falcons bow ball on its deck to win by 7/10ths of a second. The first-place time was 6:42.11 and SPU crossed in 6:42.86.
 
"You always learn a little bit more from the close losses than you do from the tight wins. We talked about it as a team that we've got to find a way to win those tight races," Derrick said. "For us to be in it with 300 meters to go as you enter the sprint is a testament to the boat.
 
"They did a great job. They were see-sawing back-and-forth, three seats here, four seats there. We want to find a way to come up with the win, but the margins are really encouraging."
 
Despite the runner-up result, SPU's top crew showed impressive speed. The Falcons time was 30 seconds faster than they clocked in two races on the same course in 2018, the Husky Open (7:13.07) and the Windermere Cup on May 5 (7:13.26).
 
Just three rowers have changed from last year's varsity eight. Julienne Renne, Shelby Janes and Jennifer Hoag have joined veteran coxswain Jacqueline Kemp and returning rowers Chloe Remley, Gillian Edgar, Megan Chalfant, Suzanne Stafford and Kaitlin Dickinson.
 
Varsity Four
Seattle Pacific's top four-oared crew remained undefeated in two races this season. Last week the varsity four defeated Division I Loyola Marymount at the WSU Regatta on the Snake River.
 
That quartet posted a winning time of 7:34.56 to outrace Seattle University (7:38.96), Portland (7:40.85) and Puget Sound (8:31.75). That time was over a minute faster than SPU's time of 8:26.53 at last season's Husky Open.
 
 Seattle U was two seats ahead at the 1,000-meter mark Saturday before the impressive move by the Falcons gave them a five-seat advantage with 500 meters left to row. SPU finished with open water in front of the Redhawks.
 
"Our varsity four continues to just be a very special boat. They are not a big crew, but they have a nice rhythm and they just keep chugging along," Derrick described. "We've got to clean up their start a little bit, and their early parts of the race, but those are the easier things to do.
 
"Their base pace is really impressive. They just make it look a little easier than it really is and that's something that we look for in a crew."
 
Sophomore coxswain Roxy Ruther directed the boat comprised of rowers Amanda Larsen, Samantha Kimmel, Brooklyn Liberato and Talia Ferguson.
 
The second varsity four chased the trio of crews from powerhouse Washington en route to a fourth-place time of 7:54.87. The winning boat, the Huskies' premier four-oared crew, posted a time of 7:06.63.
 
"We had one four that had Mount Rainier to climb, in terms of their draw, but they did well," said Derrick.
 
SPU's second four, helmed by freshman LeeAnn Arrington, featured rowers Katy Beth Smith, Haley Thompson, Madison Simmons and Gracie Hoidal.
 
Third Varsity Eight
The Falcons depth was on display in the competition for third varsity eights. They found themselves in third place after the opening 500 meters before moving within three seats of leader Seattle U at the halfway point.
 
SPU sprinted into a five-seat lead with 500 meters remaining and won by nearly a boat length.
 
"For our third varsity eight to go out there and take care of business is really exciting. It shows the depth of the program," Derrick said. "One of our things is trusting the fitness. They've put in a lot of work this year. We are averaging a lot of kilometers and that is team-wide with all of our athletes. If they've survived this long, they've done a lot of work and they are finally getting to see the benefits of that."
 
The Falcons winning time was 7:11.84 and Lewis Clark was second at 7:14.90. Seattle University faded to third with a time of 7:17.82 and Western Washington was fourth in 7:21.31.
 
SPU's victorious crew was directed by coxswain Keely Long.
 
"Our third varsity was the first SPU entry to go head-to-head with a Division II competitor this year," said Derrick. "They got to race Western Washington's third varsity and we're really proud of them for finding a way to come out on top."
 
Next Regatta
The Seattle Pacific crews travel to Southern California to compete in the prestigious San Diego Crew Classic. Racing takes place April 6-7 on Mission Bay.
 
 
NCAA Women's Rowing
Husky Open
Saturday, March 30, 2019
 (all races 2,000 meters, only SPU events listed)
 
Varsity Eights
1, Portland, 6:42.11
2, Seattle Pacific, 6:42.86
 
     SPU lineup: cox-Jacqueline Kemp, stroke-Chloe Remley, 7-Gillian Edgar, 6-Megan Chalfant, 5-Suzane Stafford, 4-Julienne Renne, 3-Shelby Janes, 2-Jennifer Hoag, bow-Kaitlin Dickinson.
 
Third Varsity Eights
1, Seattle Pacific, 7:11.84
2, Lewis & Clark, 7:14.90
3, Seattle University, 7:17.82
4, Western Washington, 7:21.31
 
     SPU lineup: cox-Keely Long, stroke-Danielle Johnson, 7-tamyra Clark-Hoogstrate, 6-Anna White, 5-Lakyn Coppedge, 4-Clara Ingraham, 3-Emily Geringer, 2-Katy Graham, bow-Avalon Tarbet-Mendoza.
 
Varsity Fours
Flight I
1, Washington, 7:06.63
2, Washington "C", 7:10.77
3, Washington "B", 7:10.93
4, Seattle Pacific 2V, 7:54.87
     SPU second varsity lineup: cox-LeeAnn Arrington, stroke-Katy Beth Smith, 3-Haley Thompson, 2-Madison Simmons, bow-Gracie Hoidal.
 
Flight II
1, Seattle Pacific, 7:34.56
2, Seattle University, 7:38.96
3, Portland, 7:40.85
4, Puget Sound, 8:31.75
 
     SPU varsity lineup:  cox-Roxy Ruther, stroke-Amanda Larsen, 3-Samantha Kimmel, 2- Brooklyn Liberato, bow-Talia Ferguson.