FRIDAY, MAY 17
UCO Tri Duel (with Barry)
Oklahoma River / Oklahoma City, Okla. / 4:00 p.m. PDT
(no webcast, nor live results available)
 
SEATTLE -- He created a monster. Now Andrew Derrick has to battle that beast.
 
Seattle Pacific's third-year women's rowing coach helped build Central Oklahoma into a dynamic program during his tenure from 2011-16. The Bronchos continued their ascent after Derrick's departure capped by an NCAA Division II national championship in 2018. They have been listed atop the national poll for 15 consecutive weeks.
 
The fifth-ranked Falcons venture to Oklahoma City, Okla. this weekend to take on that talented UCO rowing team and No. 7 Barry.
 
Racing starts Friday at 4 p.m. Pacific Time (6 p.m. Central) on the Oklahoma River course. Three races will be conducted over the traditional 2,000-meter distance in competitions that could go a long way in determining if either SPU or Barry join Central Oklahoma in the NCAA Championships field.
 
Weather and time permitting, some 500-meter sprint races involving the same crews will take place later Friday evening.
 
The schedule originally called for sprint races on the first day and the 2,000-meter competitions on Saturday, but that slate was altered due to severe thunderstorms that are expected in the Oklahoma City vicinity after Friday.
 
 
THE FALCONS FLEET
A quartet of Seattle Pacific crews traveled to Oklahoma, including one eight-oared boat, two four-oared entries and one pair.
 
The featured race is set for 4:30 p.m. with the Falcons top crew rowing in the varsity eight event against Central Oklahoma and Barry.
 
The SPU varsity eight is comprised of the same group that competed May 4 at the Windermere Cup in Seattle and defeated fourth-ranked Western Washington by six seats. That boat is directed by senior coxswain Jacqueline Kemp.
 
The varsity fours square off at 4:15 p.m. with sophomore Roxy Ruther helming the Falcons primary four-oared unit.
 
The varsity eight and varsity four are the two crews that factor into qualifying for the NCAA Championships.
 
SPU's second varsity leads off the racing card at 4 p.m., competing in the event for open fours. Cecilia Krause coxes that boat and Madison Simmons sits in the stroke seat. If the 500-meter sprint races are added to the schedule, freshman LeeAnn Arrington will assume the coxswain position.
 
The Falcons fourth crew seeks to make its maiden voyage. Haley Thompson and Danielle Johnson will row in a pair if that event is included in Friday's schedule.
 
 

COACH ANDREW DERRICK ON THE UCO REGATTA
"The number one goal is to have results good enough to continue our argument towards qualifying for the national championship. Whatever those results need to be, that's the goal.
 
"One of the first thoughts I had after taking this job at Seattle Pacific was what this was going to be like to come back and have to face UCO. Both programs mean a great deal to me. I loved working at the University of Central Oklahoma, I loved the team and the only reason I left was for family reasons. I've got nothing but good memories and good feelings toward the UCO program and it will be both fun and hard to race them. They are a very good program. Coach Rice has done a phenomenal job of coaching them and continuing what he and I and my predecessor had started to build.
 
"Central Oklahoma is a very good program as is Barry, but we are asserting ourselves as also a very good program. Our team should be very proud of what they've accomplished and know that they can hold their own against anybody in our division. We've raced a lot of people out of our division and they've represented themselves very well, so they don't need to be intimidated by anyone."
 
 
THE OKLAHOMA RIVER COURSE
The Oklahoma River is fast becoming known as one of the world's best urban venues for rowing and canoe/kayak. Located in the center of the nation at the intersection of Interstate-35 and I-40, the Oklahoma River is adjacent to downtown Oklahoma City. It offers both a 500-meter sprint course along with 2,000- and 4,000-meter courses, all sheltered by raised banks.
 
In June 2013, the Oklahoma River became the first water race course in the world with permanent stadium lighting.
 
 
ROWERS RANKED
Seattle Pacific's rowing team retained its No. 5 national ranking in the May 15 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 (May 15)
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 16 first-place finishes in races this season, including heats ... The SPU rowing roster includes 31 student-athletes, forming the largest women's rowing in Coach Andy Derrick's tenure … The roster is divided between 17 returnees and 14 novices. Many of those are true novices who had no prior rowing experience before joining the SPU squad … The Falcons hail from seven different states with 18 of them calling Washington their home. California is next with five, three are from Oregon and Idaho two. One student-athlete comes from each of Connecticut, 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.
 
 
NCAA BOUND?
Seattle Pacific will discover its postseason destiny on Monday, May 20. The six-team field for the NCAA Division II Championships will be announced at 2 p.m. Pacific Time with an online selection show that can be viewed at --  https://www.ncaa.com/video/rowing/2019-05-20/dii-rowing-2019-selection-show
 
The Falcons are seeking their first NCAA regatta berth since 2011 when they won the petite final to place fifth overall among varsity eights. They did not qualify for the team competition, so did not have a four-oared entry.
 
In 2010, SPU placed second in the team standings on the strength of fourth-place finishes in both the varsity eight and varsity four categories.
 
 
NEXT REGATTA
The 2019 NCAA Rowing Championships will take place May 31 through June 2 on Eagle Creek in Indianapolis, Indiana. All three NCAA divisions will compete to determine their respective champions.
 
The Division II field includes the top-ranked crew from each of the three regions along with three at-large teams. Each of the six teams will compete both a varsity eight and varsity four crew.
 
NCAA WOMEN'S ROWING
UCO Tri-Duel
May 17, 2019
Oklahoma River / Oklahoma City, Ok.
(Pacific Times listed)
 
2,000-Meter Races
4:00 p.m. -- Open fours
4:15 p.m. -- Varsity fours
4:30 p.m. -- Varsity eights
 
500-Meter Sprints
TBA -- Open fours
TBA -- Varsity fours
TBA -- Varsity eights
TBA -- Varsity pairs
 
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC LINEUPS
 
Varsity Eight (both races)
cox – Jacqueline Kemp (Sr./Burien, WA/homeschool)
stroke – Chloe Remley (Jr./San Diego, CA/High Tech HS)
7 – Gillian Edgar (Jr./Seattle, WA/King's HS)
6 – Megan Chalfant (So./Roseville, CA/Woodcreek HS)
5 – Suzanne Stafford (So./Clackamas, OR/Clackamas HS)
4 – Julienne Renne (Jr./Bellingham, WA/Woodinville HS)
3 – Shelby Janes (Jr./Stanwood, WA/Academy Northwest HS)
2 – Amanda Larsen (Jr./Eugene, OR/Willamette HS)
bow – Kaitlin Dickinson (Jr./Monroe, WA/Monroe HS)
 
Varsity Four (both races)
cox – Roxy Ruther (So./Torrance, CA/homeschool)
stroke – Jennifer Hoag (Fr./Normandy Park, WA/Seattle Christian HS)
3 – Samantha Kimmel (So./Woodinville, WA/Bellevue Christian HS)
2 – Katy Beth Smith (Jr./Lynnwood, WA/Kamiak HS)
bow – Talia Ferguson (So./Coeur d'Alene, ID/Charter Academy HS)
 
Open Four (2,000 meters)
cox – Cecilia Krause (So./Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury HS)
stroke – Madison Simmons (So./Corona, CA/Santiago HS)
3 – Tamyra Clark-Hoogstrate (Jr./Shoreline, WA/Shorewood HS)
2 – Danielle Johnson (Fr./Mill Creek, WA (Jackson HS)
bow – Gracie Hoidal (Sr./Everett, WA/Cascade HS)
 
Open Four (sprint)
cox – LeeAnn Arrington (Fr./Empire, OK/Empire HS)
stroke – Madison Simmons (So./Corona, CA/Santiago HS)
3 – Tamyra Clark-Hoogstrate (Jr./Shoreline, WA/Shorewood HS)
2 – Danielle Johnson (Fr./Mill Creek, WA (Jackson HS)
bow – Gracie Hoidal (Sr./Everett, WA/Cascade HS)
 
Varsity Pair (TBD)
stroke – Haley Thompson (Fr./Tacoma, WA/Science & Math Institute)
bow – Danielle Johnson (Fr./Mill Creek, WA (Jackson HS)