• VIDEO: JULIENNE  RENNE

SATURDAY-SUNDAY, APRIL 27-28
WIRA Championships
Lake Natoma / Gold River, California / 8:00 a.m.
 
•Webcast:  https://livestream.com/row/events/8515341
•Results:  https://herenow.com/results/#/races
 
Four Seattle Pacific women's crews travel to Gold River, California this weekend to compete at the two-day Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships. The regatta, which serves as the West Coast championships, takes place Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28, on Lake Natoma just east of Sacramento.
 
 This regatta will play a crucial role in the Falcons pursuit of an NCAA Rowing Championships berth.

Racing begins at 8 a.m. both days on the 2,000-meter course the finishes near the Sacramento State Aquatics Center.
 
WHAT'S WIRA?
The Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) is a western regional organization with membership comprised of 40 rowing programs at all division levels, and representing colleges and universities in five western states. WIRA includes nearly every rowing program in the West outside of the Pac-12 Conference.
 
THE FALCONS FLEET
All four Falcons crews have Saturday heat races that determine their placing in various finals. The grand finals are all slated for Sunday, the same day the varsity eight third and petite finals will be contested.
 
Petite finals take place Saturday afternoon for the second varsity eight, varsity four and novice four competitions.
 
 
Varsity Eight
The Falcons top crew rows at 9 a.m. in the last of three heats, vying for a Sunday grand finals berth with a top-two finish. They will row in Lane 1, alongside Western Washington. UC Davis is in Lane 3, inside of Lewis & Clark, Oregon and Long Beach State. The third- and fourth-place crews move into Sunday's petite final and the rest to the third final.
 
The first heat of the varsity eight competition for Division II, III and club crews features top-ranked Central Oklahoma as the lone Division II entry. UC San Diego and Humboldt will battle in the second heat. Positive results for the Falcons in their two races this weekend, along with results from the varsity four, will go a long way in determining if they will receive an NCAA Championships berth.
 
The SPU varsity eight features six members of last season's crew that placed sixth at WIRA, including junior coxswain Jacqueline Kemp. The five veteran rowers are Chloe Remley, Kaitlin Dickinson, Gillian Edgar, Suzanne Stafford and Megan Chalfant.
 
Varsity Four
The varsity four crew has two first-place performances and one third-place result to its credit in three outings this season. The third-place effort came behind a pair of Oregon State crews on April 6 at the Covered Bridge Regatta.
 
The Falcons top four-oared crew is comprised of coxswain Roxy Ruther along with Amanda Larsen, Samantha Kimmel, Brooklyn Liberato and Talia Ferguson.
 
The varsity four event has a large field of 18 crews broken into three heats. SPU races at 11:50 a.m. in the second heat, lining up in Lane 2 between UC San Diego (1) and UC Davis (3). Also in that heat are Southern Oregon, Sonoma State and Central Oklahoma's "B" boat.
 
The top-two finishers advance to Sunday's grand final, the third and fourth placers reach the petite final Saturday afternoon and the remaining crews row in the third final.
 
Second Varsity Eight
SPU's second varsity eight needs a top-three finish in the heats in order to still be competing Sunday in the grand final. The Falcons are in the first of two heats, at 9:50 a.m., lining up in Lane 1 with UC San Diego to their side. Puget Sound, Chico State and Mills fill out the field.
 
The other heat has Division II crews Humboldt State and Western Washington racing against Pacific Lutheran and UC Davis.
 
Any crews not finishing among the top-three will be placed in Saturday afternoon's petite final that includes crews with similar results from the Division I/Open category.
 
Steering and barking commands for the SPU second varsity is sophomore coxswain Cecilia Krause while Madison Simmons serves as the stroke. Also pulling oars are Gracie Hoidal, Danielle Johnson, Tamyra Clark-Hoogstrate, Anna White, Haley Thompson, Katy Beth Smith and Avalon Tarbet-Mendoza.
 
Novice Four
The Falcons first-year four competes for just the second regatta this season. Three of the rowers will be pulling double-duty.
 
Danielle Johnson, Tamyra Clark-Hoogstrate and Anna White are part of SPU's second varsity eight. They are joined in the four by freshman coxswain LeeAnn Arrington and bow seat Emily Geringer.
 
The Falcons race at 3:30 p.m. in the last of four heats, lining up in Lane 2, between Saint Mary's on the inside and Humboldt State in Lane 3. Arizona State rows out of Lane 4 flanked by Pacific.
 
The winner of each heat plus crews with the next three fastest times, advance into Sunday's grand final. The rest will row in the petite final that will be contested Saturday afternoon.

QUOTING COACH DERRICK
"The goal is to get to race the West Region and hold our own. We want to show the speed that we are capable of. We haven't faced these teams three or four times previously, but we've faced some really good opponents. We just need to show up this weekend, take care of business within our division and have a good piece.
 
"It's really fun to see a large group go and a very competitive group, not just one or the other. All of our boats are talking about grand finals and medaling, so the hopes and the expectations are high. Obviously other crews get a say in the matter, but we're really excited to show our progress."
 
2018 WIRA RECAP
Seattle Pacific raced to a second-place performance in the women's novice eight event and finished sixth among varsity eights on April 29, 2018 during the final day of the WIRA Championships on Lake Natoma.
 
UC Irvine went wire-to-wire to win the novice eight competition, concluding in an open-water victory with a time of 7-minutes, 18.30-seconds. The Falcons battled crosstown rival Seattle University throughout the 2,000-meter race, but never relinquished the No. 2 position. At the finish, the Falcons stern was even with the SU bow. Their second-place time was 7:25.50 and the Redhawks crossed in 7:28.95.
 
Sunday's featured race for NCAA Division II boats was the varsity eight competition that also included Division III and Division I club crews. It produced a speedy grand final.
 
Top-ranked Central Oklahoma streaked off the start and led the entire way for a boat-length victory over UC Santa Barbara. UCO registered a time of 6:45.83 and Santa Barbara finished in 6:49.83. Western Washington crossed the line third with a time of 6:52.42, followed by UC San Diego in 6:55.96 and Puget Sound in 7:00.24. SPU finished with its bow on the Loggers' stern, posting a sixth-place time of 7:03.31.
 
On Saturday, Seattle Pacific's third boat at the WIRA regatta narrowly missed qualifying for the varsity four grand final. Their third-place time of 8:23.74 would have been sufficient for a second-place qualifying position in either of the other two heats. Instead, the Falcons four-oared crew competed in the petite final and proved to be the class of the field. They handily won the race by open water, clocking a time of 8:45.04.
 
ROWERS RANKED
Seattle Pacific's rowing team retained its No. 5 national ranking in the April 24 Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA) poll conducted by USRowing. The Division II poll projects the quality of each team's combined varsity eights and varsity fours as those are the two crews that factor into NCAA Championships qualification.
 
SPU is in pursuit of its first NCAA regatta appearance since 2011.
 
This week's rankings, presented by Pocock Racing Shells, show the strength of the West Region which provides five of the nation's top six programs. Only No. 2 Florida Tech is from outside the West.
 
CRCA Rankings (April 24)
1, Central Oklahoma
2. Florida Tech
3. UC San Diego
4. Western Washington
5. Seattle Pacific
6. Humboldt State
7. Barry
8. Jefferson
 
FALCON FAST FACTS
The various Falcons crews have combined for first-place finishes in nine categories this season ... The SPU rowing roster includes 34 student-athletes, forming the largest women's rowing in Coach Andy Derrick's tenure … The roster is equally divided between 17 returnees and 17 novices. Many of those are true novices who had no prior rowing experience before joining the SPU squad … The Falcons hail from eight different states with 19 of them calling Washington their home. California is next with six, three are from Oregon and Idaho two. One student-athlete comes from each of Connecticut, Kansas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
 
COACH DERRICK
Former University of Washington standout Andrew Derrick is in his third year as the women's rowing coach at Seattle Pacific. He assumed the helm of the program in October 2016, returning to Seattle where he was a four-year UW letterman and helped the freshman crew to the 2001 national championship. Derrick rowed in the bow seat for the Huskies' national runner-up varsity eight boats in 2003 and 2004.
 
Derrick's crews improved dramatically from his first to the next, highlighted by a win over Western Washington in the Falcon Regatta on April 14, 2018.
 
A 2004 graduate with a bachelor's degree in history, Derrick remained at UW to earn his master's in intercollegiate athletic leadership in 2008. He was named a to the All-Pac-10 Team as well as earning all-conference academic honors three years in a row.
 
Derrick, 35, came to SPU after a five-year stint as the head coach at Central Oklahoma. The former UCO assistant was promoted to head coach in 2011 and directed the team to the NCAA Championship Regatta in each of his five seasons. The Bronchos were national team runners-up in 2016 after placing third in 2015. Their varsity eight and varsity four crews each won silver medals at the 2016 NCAA championships.
 
THE SCHEDULE
SPU has eight regattas on its 2019 spring schedule with a ninth requiring qualification, the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis, Ind., May 31 through June 2.
 
Highlighting the schedule is the May 4 Windermere Cup on Seattle's Montlake Cut and a May 18 clash of Division II powers in Oklahoma City against host Central Oklahoma and Barry.
 
NEXT REGATTA
The Falcons fleet continues the 2019 campaign in one of the most-watched regattas in the world. They stay in Seattle on May 4 to compete in the Windermere Cup on the Montlake Cut. The annual regatta that celebrates the opening of boating season in the Northwest is witnessed by thousands of spectators lining the narrow waterway. Racing begins at 10:15 a.m.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S ROWING
2019 WIRA Championships
Lake Natoma / Gold River, Calif.
(all races 2,000 meters, only events with SPU entries listed)
 
SCHEDULE & LANE ASSIGNMENTS
 
Saturday, April 27
Varsity Eight DII/DIII/Club (top 2 advance to grand final)
8:40 a.m. – Heat I:  1-Central Oklahoma, 2-Pacific Lutheran, 3-UC Santa Barbara, 4-Mills, 5-Chico State.
8:50 a.m. – Heat II:  1-UC San Diego, 2-Humboldt State, 3-Puget Sound, 4-Washington State, 5-Pacific, 6-California lightweight.
9:00 a.m. – Heat II:  1-Seattle Pacific, 2-Western Washington, 3-UC Davis, 4-Lewis & Clark, 5-Oregon, 6-Long Beach State.
 
Second Varsity Eight DII/DIII/Club (top 3 advance to grand final)
9:50 a.m. – Heat I:  1-Seattle Pacific, 2-UC San Diego, 3-Puget Sound, 4-Chico State, 5-Mills.
10:00 a.m. – Heat II:  1-Pacific Lutheran, 2-Humboldt State, 3-Western Washington, 4-UC Davis.
4:00 p.m. – Petite final (all divisions)
 
Varsity Four DII/DIII/Club (top 2 advance to grand final)
8:40 a.m. – Heat I:  1-Central Oklahoma "A", 2- UC Santa Barbara, 3-Orange Coast, 4-Mills, 5-Oregon "A", 6-Sonoma State "B".
8:50 a.m. – Heat II:  1-UC San Diego, 2-Seattle Pacific, 3-UC Davis, 4-Southern Oregon, 5-Sonoma State "A", 6-Central Oklahoma "B".
9:00 a.m. – Heat II:  1-Seattle Pacific, 2-Western Washington, 3-UC Davis, 4-Lewis & Clark, 5-Oregon, 6-Long Beach State.
4:40 p.m. – Petite final
 
Novice Four (winners advance along with next four three times)
3:00 p.m. – Heat I:  1-Stanford, 2-UC Santa Barbara, 3-Pacific Lutheran, 4-Sacramento State, 5-Portland, 6-Santa Clara.
3:10 p.m. – Heat II:  1-Loyola Marymount, 2-Long Beach State, 3-UC Irvine, 4-San Diego, 5-UC Davis, 6-Lewis & Clark.
3:20 p.m. – Heat III:  1-Chapman, 2-Washington State, 3-Portland State, 4-Sonoma State, 5-California lightweight, 6-Puget Sound.
3:30 p.m. – Heat IV:  1-Saint Mary's, 2-Seattle Pacific, 3-Humboldt State, 4-Arizona State, 5-Pacific.
5:50 p.m. –Petite final
 
 
Sunday, April 28
8:40 a.m. – Varsity eight (third final)
8:50 a.m. – Varsity eight (petite final)
9:00 a.m. – Varsity eight (grand final)
9:50 a.m. – Second varsity eight (grand final)
10:00 a.m. – Novice eight (grand final)
10:40 a.m. – Varsity four (grand final)
12:10 p.m. – Novice four (grand final)
 
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC LINEUPS
 
Varsity Eight
cox – Jacqueline Kemp (Jr./Burien, WA/homeschool)
stroke – Chloe Remley (Jr./San Diego, CA/High Tech HS)
7 – Gillian Edgar (Jr./Seattle, WA/King's HS)
6 – Julienne Renne (Jr./Bellingham, WA/Woodinville HS)
5 – Suzanne Stafford (So./Clackamas, OR/Clackamas HS)
4 – Megan Chalfant (So./Roseville, CA/Woodcreek HS)
3 – Shelby Janes (Jr./Stanwood, WA/Academy Northwest HS)
2 – Jennifer Hoag (Fr./Normandy Park, WA/Seattle Christian HS)
bow – Kaitlin Dickinson (Jr./Monroe, WA/Monroe HS)
 
Varsity Four
cox – Roxy Ruther (So./Torrance, CA/homeschool)
stroke – Amanda Larsen (Jr./Eugene, OR/Willamette HS)
3 – Samantha Kimmel (So./Woodinville, WA/Bellevue Christian HS)
2 – Brooklyn Liberato (So./Mount Vernon, WA/Mount Vernon HS)
bow – Talia Ferguson (So./Coeur d'Alene, ID/Charter Academy HS)
 
Second Varsity Eight
cox – Cecilia Krause (So./Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury HS)
stroke – Madison Simmons (So./Corona, CA/Santiago HS)
7 – Gracie Hoidal (Sr./Everett, WA/Cascade HS)
6 – Danielle Johnson (Fr./Mill Creek, WA (Jackson HS)
5 – Tamyra Clark-Hoogstrate (Jr./Shoreline, WA/Shorewood HS)
4 – Anna White (So./Meridian, ID/Meridian Medical HS)
3 – Haley Thompson (Fr./Tacoma, WA/Science & Math Institute)
2 – Katy Beth Smith (Jr./Lynnwood, WA/Kamiak HS)
bow – Avalon Tarbet-Mendoza (Fr./Vancouver, WA/Columbia River HS)
 
Novice Four
cox – LeeAnn Arrington (Fr./Empire, OK/Empire HS)
stroke – Danielle Johnson (Fr./Mill Creek, WA (Jackson HS)
3 – Tamyra Clark-Hoogstrate (Jr./Shoreline, WA/Shorewood HS)
2 – Anna White (So./Meridian, ID/Meridian Medical HS)
bow – Emily Geringer (So./Gig Harbor, WA/Gig Harbor HS)