• WIRA RESULTS

GOLD RIVER, Calif. – Seattle Pacific raced to a first-place finish in the second varsity eight competition and the novice four earned the bronze medal Sunday during the final day of the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships on Lake Natoma.
 
The Falcons' top crew placed fifth in the varsity eight grand final and their varsity four rowed to a fourth-place performance. Those are the two boats that factor into selection for the NCAA Championships, which are May 31 through June 2 in Indianapolis, Ind.
 
For Division II teams, the results from each school's varsity eight and varsity four crews are considered in formation of the six-team field. Seattle Pacific is currently ranked No. 5 in the national poll. The Falcons are seeking their first NCAA regatta appearance since 2011.
 
An impressive surge just past the midway mark of the second varsity eight race propelled the Falcons to the gold medal. SPU sat in third place during the early going before taking a move to steal second from Pacific Lutheran by the 500-meter point.
 
Humboldt State was the Falcons next victim, giving up the first-place position just past 1,000 meters. SPU continued streaking and stretched the lead to a patch of open water by the finish.
 
The Falcons completed the 2,000-meter course in 7-minutes, 2.84-seconds. UC San Diego rallied from fourth place halfway through to place second in 7:07.58. Humboldt ended up third (7:08.67), followed by PLU (7:09.61), Western Washington (7:12.04) and Puget Sound (7:14.03).
 
The victorious crew was directed by coxswain Cecilia Krause and featured rowers Madison Simmons, Gracie Hoidal, Danielle Johnson, Tamyra Clark-Hoogstrate, Anna White, Haley Thompson, Katy Beth Smith and Avalon Tarbet-Mendoza.
 
Three of those rowers, Johnson, Clark-Hoogstrate and White, competed two hours later in the novice four event and produced a gritty effort.
 
The first-year Falcons four-oared crew, coxed by LeeAnn Arrington, battled valiantly against their better-rested opponents and were in second place midway through the race. They were overtaken by San Diego with 600 meters to go and the Toreros proceeded to erase an open-water deficit and nearly nip Loyola Marymount at the finish line.
 
LMU went wire-to-wire to post a winning time of 7:40.93. USD was second at 7:41.01 and Seattle Pacific earned the bronze in 7:49.47. PLU finished fourth (7:51.64), Portland fifth (8:05.72), Arizona State sixth (8:10.72) and Puget Sound seventh (8:36.07).
 
In the fast varsity eight final, defending national champion Central Oklahoma was a three-seat victor. UC San Diego sprinted off the line and led for the 1,300 meters before being overtaken by UCO, which held on the win with a time of 6:46.00. The Tritons' time was 6:47.67.
 
The Falcons, helmed by Jacqueline Kemp, were rowing in third for the opening 500 meters before falling to fifth by the 1,000 after being overtaken by Humboldt and Santa Barbara. The made a solid surge to pass Humboldt with 500 meters to go, but Western Washington sprinted from sixth to fourth in the final stretch.
 
At the finish line, UC Santa Barbara crossed in 6:48.53, two seats ahead of fourth-place WWU, which had a time of 6:49.36. That same margin separated the Vikings from SPU, which clocked a time of 6:50.28. Humboldt was fifth in 6:52.90.
 
The result was a reverse of Saturday's varsity eight heat which SPU won by a one-second margin over Northwest rival Western Washington.
 
Central Oklahoma was the class of the varsity four field, going wire-to-wire with a healthy open-water triumph in a time of 7:28.34. A tight battle ensued for places two through four.
 
A quarter of the way through the grand final UCSD had a one-seat edge over Western, which had its stern on the Falcons bow. Those positions held for the next 500 meters. While the Tritons solidified their runner-up standing after the 1,000-meter mark, SPU began closing the gap on the Vikings.
 
The Falcons kept contact with third place, but could only come within four seats at the finish.
 
UC San Diego's second-place time was 7:37.67, WWU finished in 7:38.80 and SPU in 7:41.00. Humboldt State had a fifth-place time of 7:48.01 and Orange Coast College was sixth in 8:09.32.
 
The Seattle Pacific crews continue the 2019 campaign on Saturday at the Windermere Cup. Racing begins at 10:15 a.m. on the Montlake Cut in Seattle.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S ROWING
WIRA Championships
Sunday, April 28, 2019
Lake Natoma / Gold River, Calif.
(2,000-meter races)
 
GRAND FINAL RESULTS (SPU races only)
 
Varsity Eights
1, Central Oklahoma, 6:46.00
2, UC San Diego, 6:47.67
3, UC Santa Barbara, 6:48.53
4, Western Washington, 6:49.36
5, Seattle Pacific, 6:50.28
6, Humboldt State, 6:52.90
 
     SPU lineup: cox-Jacqueline Kemp, stroke-Chloe Remley, 7-Gillian Edgar, 6-Julienne Renne, 5-Suzanne Stafford, 4-Megan Chalfant, 3-Shelby Janes, 2-Jennifer Hoag, bow-Kaitlin Dickinson.
 
Varsity Fours
1, Central Oklahoma, 7:28.34
2, UC San Diego, 7:37.67
3, Western Washington, 7:38.80
4, Seattle Pacific, 7:41.00
5, Humboldt State, 7:48.01
6, Orange Coast, 8:09.32
 
      SPU lineup:  cox–Roxy Ruther, stroke-Amanda Larsen, 3-Samantha Kimmel, 2-Brooklyn Liberato, bow-Talia Ferguson.
 
Second Varsity Eights
1, Seattle Pacific, 7:02.84
2, UC San Diego, 7:07.58
3, Humboldt State, 7:08.67
4, Pacific Lutheran, 7:09.61
5, Western Washington, 7:12.04
6, Puget Sound, 7:14.03
 
      SPU lineup:  cox–Cecilia Krause, stroke-Madison Simmons, 7-Gracie Hoidal, 6-Danielle Johnson, 5-Tamyra Clark-Hoogstrate, 4-Anna White, 3-Haley Thompson, 2-Katy Beth Smith, bow-Avalon Tarbet-Mendoza.
 
Novice Fours
1, Loyola Marymount, 7:40.93
2, San Diego, 7:41.01
3, Seattle Pacific, 7:49.47
4, Pacific Lutheran, 7:51.64
5, Portland, 8:05.72
6, Arizona State, 8:10.72
7, Puget Sound, 8:36.07
 
      SPU lineup:  cox–LeeAnn Arrington, stroke-Danielle Johnson, 3-Tamyra Clark-Hoogstrate, 2-Anna White, bow-Emily Geringer.
 
 
NEXT SPU REGATTA
Windermere Cup
Saturday, May 4, 10:15 a.m.
Montlake Cut / Seattle, Wash.