OKLAHOMA CITY, Ok. – A runner-up performance from the varsity four crew Saturday highlighted a hectic day of racing by eight Seattle Pacific crews at the UCO-SPU-KU Regatta on the Oklahoma River.
 
The early session featured four races, three of them involving NCAA Division I competitor Kansas. Division II powerhouses SPU and host Central Oklahoma participated in all eight events on the day, including the four late-session races.
 
UCO is the three-time national champion. The Bronchos are ranked No. 1 nationally among Division II teams and SPU is No. 6.
 
The headline races involved the varsity eight and varsity four crews.
 
Varsity Fours
Kansas' top four-oared boat won with a time of 7-minutes, 42.11-seconds followed by the Falcons varsity four in 7:48.77. The second KU crew was over a boat-length back in 7:52.24 and Central Oklahoma was a distant fourth in 7:56.71.
 
The Jayhawks did not participate in the late session, leaving SPU and UCO to go head-to-head. The Bronchos avenged their earlier defeat in the fours, posting a first-place time of 7:55.49 to edge the Falcons, who were three seats back, in 7:56.77.
 
A pre-planned reconfiguration's of SPU's varsity four crew installed Nicole Svoboda in the No. 3 seat in place of Hannah Miller, who occupied that position during the initial race. Directing the Falcons was coxswain Sara Mach.
 
Varsity Eights
Division I Kansas flexed its muscles in the main attraction, placing one-two in the varsity eight race. The Jayhawks top boat crossed in 6:48.18 and their second varsity finished in 6:53.83.
 
Central Oklahoma bested SPU by open water with a third-place time of 6:54.34. The Falcons finished in 7:05.63.
 
Those two Division II competitors raced again in the second session with a similar results. The Bronchos were first with a time of 6:56.45 that was over two seconds slower than their first outing. SPU registered a second-place mark of 7:04.1, improving its previous clocking by 1.62 seconds.
 
Senior LeeAnn Arrington steered SPU's top boat from her coxswain seat.
 
 

Flexible Falcon
Several SPU athletes competed in more than one race Saturday, but none was busier than Jessica Vester. The junior from Oak Harbor (Wash.) High School is in her first year on the rowing team.
 
Vester served coxswain duty in three races before rowing for the novice eight. She directed SPU boats in the open four and second open four races and then coxed the second varsity eight crew.
 
After all of that, Vester moved into the No. 3 seat and pulled an oar for the two 500-meter sprints in the final event of the day.
 
Second Varsity Eights
The respective Division II second varsity eight crews competed. Central Oklahoma proved to have the superior backup boat, crossing the finish line first in 7:34.32.
 
That provided nearly two boat-lengths of open water in front of the Falcons, whose runner-up time was 7:56.77.
 
Open Fours
 

Two races for open four crews were conducted during the early session. The open category allows for a combination of varsity and novice rowers.
 
The Bronchos handily won the open four race in 8:01.90 and the SPU second varsity four had a trailing time of 8:12.84.
 
The Falcons third varsity four also finished second, with a time of 8:29.57 in the second open four race, sandwiched between UCO entries. Central Oklahoma's first crew crossed in 8:28.03 and the second in 8:32.07, over two seconds behind SPU.
 
Novice Eights
A third event for eight-oared crews was contested between the novices from each school. They each raced over two, 500-meter pieces. The first 500 meters, from a traditional start, was won by UCO in 1:50.22. The Falcons were just over a second back, in 1:51.48.
 
SPU turned the tables in the second, 500-meter segment, which implemented a running start. The Falcons clocked a 1:51.47, giving them a faster combined mark of 3:42.95. UCO was nearly two seconds back in the final 500, in 1:53.15, for a total time of 3:43.37.
 
Next Week
The Falcons split up next week to participate in a pair of regattas 2,500 miles apart. Some SPU crews will travel cross country, to Sarasota , for the Florida Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta, April 1-2. Numerous NCAA Division II schools from the South region will race.
 
The remainder of the Falcons fleet will remain in Seattle to compete in the annual Husky Open, April 2 on the Montlake Cut.
 
NCAA Women's Rowing
UCO-SPU-KU Regatta
Saturday, March 26, 2022
Oklahoma River / Oklahoma City, Ok.
(all races 2,000 meters unless otherwise noted)
 
Varsity Eights
First session – 1, Kansas, 6:48.18; 2, Kansas 2V, 6:53.83; 3, Central Oklahoma, 6:54.34; 4, Seattle Pacific, 7:05.63.
 
Second session – 1, Central Oklahoma, 6:56.45; 2, Seattle Pacific, 7:04.01.
 
     SPU lineup: cox-LeeAnn Arrington, stroke-Megan Popielak, 7-Macie Leach, 6-Jacinta Grandel, 5-Kalais Samuelson, 4-Elise Arkills, 3-Natalie Korolenko, 2-Danielle Johnson, bow-Kristin Grassell.
 
 
Varsity Fours
First session – 1, Kansas, 7:42.11; 2, Seattle Pacific, 7:48.77; 3, Kansas 2V, 7:52.24; 4, Central Oklahoma, 7:56.71.
 
     SPU lineup: cox-Sara Mach, stroke-Jennifer Hoag, 3-Hannah Miller, 2-Ingrid Erickson, bow-Avalon Tarbet-Mendoza.
 
Second session – 1, Central Oklahoma, 7:55.49; 2, Seattle Pacific, 7:56.77.
 
     SPU lineup: cox-Sara Mach, stroke-Jennifer Hoag, 3-Nicole Svoboda, 2-Ingrid Erickson, bow-Avalon Tarbet-Mendoza.
 
 
Second Varsity Eights
1, Central Oklahoma, 7:34.32; 2, Seattle Pacific, 7:41.80
 
     SPU lineup: cox-Jessica Vester, stroke-Audrey Rekedal, 7-Emma Ely, 6-Bella Sangston, 5-Meghan Rustemeyer, 4-Megan Rouse, 3-Summer Frank, 2-Olivia Pederson, bow-Addie Clark.
 
 
Open Fours
1, Central Oklahoma, 8:01.9; 2, Seattle Pacific 2V, 8:12.84.
 
     SPU lineup: cox-Jessica Vester, stroke-Audrey Rekedal, 3-Addie Clark, 2-Megan Rouse, bow-Sophie Sandahl.
 
 
Second Open Fours
1, Central Oklahoma "B", 8:28.03; 2, Seattle Pacific 3V, 8:29.57; 3, Central Oklahoma, 8:32.07.
 
     SPU lineup: cox-Jessica Vester, stroke-Bella Sangston, 3-Emma Ely, 2-Olivia Pederson, bow-Meghan Rustemeyer.
 
 
Novice Eights (500-meter pieces)
First session (standing start) – 1, Central Oklahoma, 1:50.22; 2, Seattle Pacific, 1:51.48.
 
Second session (moving start) – 1, Seattle Pacific, 1:51.47; 2, Central Oklahoma, 1:53.15.
 
     SPU lineup: cox-Sara Mach, stroke-Audrey Rekedal, 7-Kristin Grassell, 6-Megan Rouse, 5-Emma Ely, 4-Meghan Rustemeyer, 3-Jessica Vester, 2-Olivia Pederson, bow-Addie Clark.