SEATTLE – Seattle Pacific crews were victorious in three of seven races Saturday and the varsity eight boat twice finished within one second of defending national champion Central Oklahoma at the Falcon Regatta on the Lake Washington Ship Canal.
 
The Falcons varsity four crew drew a split, capturing the first matchup by over two seconds while Central Oklahoma won the rematch by five seconds. Western Washington was a distant third in both races.
 
"Today's racing was so good. It was great to see the fight and to be neck-and-neck with another crew," exclaimed first-year SPU coach Caitlin McClain. "Every boat on our team was tested today and they kept pushing. Some came out with wins, and some were close loses, but I'm just so proud of the effort and the focus today."

The day's featured race was a clash between a trio of eight-oared varsity crews. The 2019 NCAA Division II regatta was the last one conducted as the 2020 championships were cancelled due to the pandemic. At that 2019 national regatta these three schools were among the top-four varsity eight finishers with Central Oklahoma winning, Western Washington placing third and SPU fourth.
 
In Saturday's first varsity eight encounter, UCO barely held off the Falcons, finishing just 0.3-seconds in front with a time of 6-minutes, 53.6 seconds. SPU crossed in 6:54.3 and Western was third in 7:11.5.
 
The rematch was even closer as the Bronchos and SPU battled the entire length of the 2,000-meter course. UCO was first to the line in 6:51.0 and the Falcons had their bow ball on the winner's deck while crossing in 6:51.3. The Vikings third-place time was 7:11.4.
 
"There is so much more that they have in store that we're looking toward," McClain said of her varsity eight. "The fact that they fought to the finish, they were right there stroke-for-stroke and seat-for-seat, is exactly where we want to be.
 
"We're still hungry and ready to put in some more work as we look toward the rest of the season. The varsity eight was obviously nerve-wracking and thrilling and ultimately we're really proud of what we put out there today."

LEE ANN ARRINGTON INTERVIEW

The top four-oared crews also raced twice. Seattle Pacific claimed a three-seat win in the initial varsity four meeting, clocking a time of 7:50.2. UCO was second in 7:52.7 followed by Western in 8:15.6.
 
Central Oklahoma gained revenge in the second race with an open-water win. The winning time was 7:52.4 and the Falcons were second in 7:57.6. WWU's third-place time was 8:37.8.
 
"They have continued work to do, but that was a really good beginning for our varsity four. That crew really came together today in that first race, which was good to see," said McClain. "The second race was a tough loss, but one that they were still fighting for.
 
"That's how rowing works when you have teams that are well-matched. You're going to win some and you're going to lose some, and it's all about continuing to find our best performance and what we need to be successful, so that on those days the time stops for us first."
 
The regatta started with the open four event, which Seattle Pacific won handily in 8:01.6. UCO's second-place time was 8:20.3.
 
The Bronchos won the novice four race with a time of 7:55.0. The Falcons had two entries for first-year rowers, the first posting a time of 8:01.9 and the second 8:20.3.
 
Three rowers from the SPU open four crew formed the stern trio of the second varsity eight entry while Haley Thompson remained in the bow. They joined a quartet of rowers from the top novice four boat.
 
The Falcons second varsity streaked to an impressive open water victory in the inaugural race of the second flight. They crossed the finish line in 7:25.4 with ample open water between them and UCO. The Bronchos second-place time was 7:37.1.
 
"Our depth was shown today, and the team should be really excited about what more they can give," McClain said. "Today, having the novice fours lose in the first flight, but then to see them come together with more experienced rowers and put together a really great second varsity race was exciting. Those athletes as novices have only been rowing since January."
 
The SPU women's rowing team returns to action on April 17 at the Viking Regatta. They travel north to Bellingham's Lake Samish for a series of dual races versus Western Washington.
 
NCAA Women's Rowing
Falcon Regatta
Saturday, March 27, 2021
Lake Washington Ship Canal / Seattle, Wash.
(all races 2,000 meters)
 
Varsity Eights
Flight I – 1, Central Oklahoma, 6:53.6; 2, Seattle Pacific, 6:54.3; 3, Western Washington, 7:11.5.
 
Flight II – 1, Central Oklahoma, 6:51.0; 2, Seattle Pacific, 6:51.3; 3, Western Washington, 7:11.4.
 
     SPU lineup: cox-LeeAnn Arrington, stroke-Jennifer Hoag, 7-Samantha Kimmel, 6-Macie Leach, 5-Gillian Edgar, 4-Jacinta Grandel, 3-Kaitlin Dickinson, 2-Megan Chalfant, bow-Suzanne Stafford.
 
 
Varsity Fours
Flight I – 1, Seattle Pacific, 7:50.2; 2, Central Oklahoma, 7:52.7; 3, Western Washington 8:15.6.
 
Flight II – 1, Central Oklahoma, 7:52.4; 2, Seattle Pacific, 7:57.6; 3, Western Washington, 8:37.8.
 
     SPU lineup: cox-Roxy Ruther, stroke-Hannah Miller, 3-Tamyra Clark-Hoogstrate, 2-Anna White, bow-Anna Serven.
 
 
Second Varsity Eights
Flight II – 1, Seattle Pacific, 7:25.4; 2, Central Oklahoma, 7:37.1.
 
     SPU lineup: cox-Cecilia Krause, stroke-Danielle Johnson, 7-Avalon Tarbet-Mendoza, 6-Nicole Svoboda, 5-Summer Frank, 4-Sydney Naour, 3-Natalie Korolenko, 2-Elise Arkills, bow-Haley Thompson.
 

Novice Fours
Flight I – 1, Central Oklahoma, 7:55.0; 2, Seattle Pacific "A", 8:01.9; 3, Seattle Pacific "B", 8:42.6.
 
     SPU "A" lineup: cox-Moxie McCandless, stroke-Sydney Naour, 3-Summer Frank, 2-Elise Arkills, bow-Natalie Korolenko.
 
     SPU "B" lineup: cox-Abby Oaks, stroke-Bella Sangston, 3-Sophie Sandahl, 2-Ava Liebendorfer, bow-Elizabeth White.
 
 
Open Fours
Flight II – 1, Seattle Pacific, 8:01.6; 2, Central Oklahoma, 8:20.3.
 
     SPU lineup: cox-Cecilia Krause, stroke-Danielle Johnson, 3-Avalon Tarbet-Mendoza, 2-Nicole Svoboda, bow-Haley Thompson.