• DAY 1 NCAA RESULTS     |    • PHOTO GALLERY (Day 1/May 31)    |    • PHOTO GALLERY (practice day/May 30)
     • VIDEO: ROXY RUTHER    |    • VIDEO: MEGAN CHALFANT

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – An eight-year wait came to an end Friday. But Seattle Pacific was forced to endure an additional seven-hour delay for it to finally come about.
 
Seattle Pacific's two crews each raced to second-place heat finishes Friday during the first day of the NCAA Women's Rowing Championships that were postponed for nearly eight hours at the Eagle Creek Reservoir.
 
High volumes of rain and severe thunderstorms on Thursday left the course littered with debris. Organizers needed several hours to clear the impediments. The first race of the national regatta, which includes separate championships for NCAA Division I, II and III schools, was supposed to start at 8:15 a.m. local time. Instead, the initial race didn't start until 4 p.m.
 
"I think they handled it really well," third-year SPU coach Andrew Derrick said of his rowers during the postponement. "They did a great job being relaxed all day. We're still in school so they had classwork to keep them busy."
 
The Falcons, ranked fifth among Division II programs, are participating in the national team competition for just the second time ever and making their first appearance since 2011.
 
Varsity Eight

The varsity eights were the first to nestle into the starting blocks and SPU lined up in the first heat alongside defending national champion Central Oklahoma.
 
The top-ranked Bronchos showed their strength early, gaining a six-seat advantage during the opening 500 meters. They steadily added to that margin, ending with a sizable margin of open water at the finish and a winning time of 6-minutes, 42.70-seconds.
 
"UCO looked sharp," said Derrick, who directed the Bronchos to five consecutive NCAA appearances from 2012-16 before coming to SPU.
 
"They've taken a step forward since we saw them a couple weeks ago in Oklahoma City. They're a great program. We had an okay race, but we'll try and hope for better in the coming days."
 
SPU was comfortably in second place, going wire-to-wire in the runner-up position to clock a time of 6:53.98. Jefferson, formerly Philadelphia University, was two lengths back with a third-place mark of 7:00.41.
 
Those two will meet again in Saturday's varsity eight repechage, battling for grand finals berths against Florida Tech and UC San Diego. FIT (6:40.46) and UCSD (6:48.80) went two-three in the second heat, which was significantly faster.
 
Western Washington won that heat in 6:38.45. The Vikings earned automatic entry into Sunday's grand final where they will be joined by Central Oklahoma and the top-two repechage finishers.
 
Coxswain Jacqueline Kemp is the only senior in SPU's top crew with all eight rowers eligible to return next season.


 
Varsity Four
SPU entered a four-oared crew in the NCAA Championships for just the second time in school history.
 
The Falcons four, coxed by Roxy Ruther, proved they belong at the national regatta.
 
Florida Tech burst from the starting line and quickly obtained a healthy lead. That margin was already open water 500 meters in and almost two lengths at the midway mark.
 
The other two crews were destined for Saturday's repechage, but a game effort by the Falcons made it interesting. They trailed UC San Diego by three seats at the quarter point and clawed two of those seats back by 1,000 meters.

 

SPU overtook the Tritons during the next 500 meters and narrowed the gap on the leader. At the finish, FIT crossed first in 7:39.62, three seats ahead of SPU. The Falcons runner-up time of 7:41.92 provided an open-water advantage over third-place UCSD, which finished in 7:45.92.
 
Derrick was impressed with the performance of his varsity four rowers.
 
"When they relax they can just put down a really nice rhythm. They did a great job staying relaxed and having a good piece. It absolutely will be a confidence builder for them and we're excited to see what they can do tomorrow."
 
Florida earned a spot in the varsity four grand final along with Central Oklahoma, which easily topped the other heat in 7:29.59.
 
SPU and San Diego will race against WWU and Jefferson in Saturday's varsity four repechage. The first- and second-place finishers advance to the grand final and the other two race in the petite final.

The second-day schedule has been altered to allow for more debris clearing on the course before racing begins. Initially scheduled to start at 5 a.m. Pacific Time (8 a.m. Eastern), Saturday's first race will begin two hours later. The first race of the day will commence at 7 a.m. PDT.

The Falcons two repechages will take place in succession with the varsity eight race at 9 a.m. PDT followed by the varsity four at 9:10 a.m. PDT.
 

 
NCAA WOMEN'S ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Friday, May 31, 2019
Eagle Creek Reservoir / Indianapolis, Ind.
(2,000-meter races)
 
DIVISION II WOMEN'S RESULTS
(top finisher in each heat advances to grand final, rest to repechage)
 
Varsity Eights
Heat I -- 1, Central Oklahoma, 6:42.70; 2, Seattle Pacific, 6:53.98; 3, Jefferson, 7:00.41.
 
Heat II -- 1, Western Washington, 6:38.45; 2, Florida Tech, 6:40.46; 3, UC San Diego, 6:48.80.
 
     SPU lineup: cox-Jacqueline Kemp, stroke-Chloe Remley, 7-Gillian Edgar, 6-Megan Chalfant, 5-Suzanne Stafford, 4-Julienne Renne, 3-Shelby Janes, 2-Amanda Larsen, bow-Kaitlin Dickinson.
 
 
Varsity Fours
Heat I -- 1, Central Oklahoma, 7:29.59; 2, Western Washington, 7:34.60; 3, Jefferson, 7:57.09.
 
Heat II -- 1, Florida Tech, 7:39.62; 2, Seattle Pacific, 7:41.92; 3, UC San Diego, 7:45.92.
 
      SPU varsity four lineup:  cox–Roxy Ruther, stroke-Brooklyn Liberato, 3-Samantha Kimmel, 2-Jennifer Hoag, bow-Talia Ferguson.
 
 
Saturday, June 1 Repechage Schedule
7:36 a.m. PDT – Varsity eights
7:48 a.m. PDT – Varsity fours