SEATTLE – Months of hard work and dedication have led the Seattle Pacific University women's rowing team to the opportunity presented as a chance to compete for a National Championship in Cherry Hill, NJ on the Cooper River this weekend.
QUOTABLE
"Making NCAAs after the close racing of GNACs is galvanizing," head coach Caitlin McClain said. "It's like we got a sneak peek into the future at GNACs and we have the opportunity to do it again for the last time this season. There's been a palpable energy to the team over the last week and we are excited to see what we can do with a little more urgency and aggression."
"Earning a bid for the second year in a row is hugely significant," McClain added. "It speaks to the depth of the program and the legacy the alumnae instilled. The 2019 NCAA squad had multiple 5th years who stayed through COVID and a coaching change and then endured the disappointment of the reduced championship field of 2021. This year's seniors are the last class who was here for that, so repeating a national appearance during their career has been integral to solidifying the culture of high performance that SPU Rowing reignited just before COVID. I am so grateful to the past and present student-athlete as well as Coaches Amy Hildebrandt and Matt Oclander for their contributions and impact over the three years I've been here."
GNAC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced its Women's Rowing All-Conference Awards on Monday afternoon, with Seattle Pacific's Macie Leach earning a spot on the list and adding to her lengthy list of achievements.
Leach's list of accolades is an extensive one. Originally unsure of joining the SPU rowing team, Leach has carved out a career most would be pleased with. She's made the grade, so to speak, three times, earning GNAC All-Academic honor every year since 2020. Leach owns a 3.81-grade point average as a nursing major.
The academic honors extend outside of the conference as well. Leach earned the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Associations Academic Award in 2022.
Leach was honored as one of the best in the GNAC a season ago. She earned GNAC First Team honors in 2022 and now 2023. Leach has been a key factor in a strong Varsity 8+ boat for the Falcons. The V8+ shell has made noise all season. The boat has been named GNAC Crew of the Week twice during the 2023 season.
GNAC ALL-ACADEMIC
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced its 2023 All-Academic women's rowing team on Monday morning, featuring 10 members of the Seattle Pacific University women's rowing team.
Jacinta Grandel and Macie Leach represent the Falcons on the GNAC All-Acadmeic team for the third time in their careers. Grandel and Leach are two of four student-athletes in the GNAC who have made the list three times. Kalais Samuelson and Sophie Sandahl are making their second appearances on the GNAC All-Academic team.
Audrey Rekedal and Addie Clark lead the squad with impressive GPAs. Rekedal sports a spotless 4.0, while Clark checks in at 3.96. Mary Goodhew, Kristin Grassell, Megan Rouse, and Lucy Sandahl has also made the team for the first time in their career.
COLLEGE SPORTS COMMUNICATORS ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
The College Sports Communicators announced its At-Large Teams for their Academic All-District program on Tuesday afternoon, featuring Seattle Pacific University women's rowing team members Addie Clark, Kristin Grassell, Audrey Rekedal, Kalais Samuelson, and Macie Leach.
LAST TIME AT NCAA NATIONALS
The Falcons made the trip to Sarasota, Fla. for the 2022 NCAA Championships. It was a successful trip for SPU, as the team walked away with a 6th-place finish. The Varsity 4+ shell had the best finish for an SPU boat, taking fourth with a time of 8:10.22.
THIS SEASON'S HIGHLIGHTS
The Falcons enter the 2023 NCAA National Championships with momentum from a consistently strong season. SPU appeared in every edition of the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association's Pocock Coaches Poll, spent time as the top-ranked V4+ shell in the NCAA Regional Rankings, and was named GNAC Crew of the Week three times.
The First of those three GNAC Weekly Award selections came for the V8+ group from their performance at the season-opening PLU Invite on March 4. The boat consisted of Moxie McCandless, Jacinta Grandel, Kalais Samuelson, Macie Leach, and Anna Boatman. It continued with Audrey Rekedal, Emma Ely, Megan Popielak, and Hannah Miller. SPU opened the day with a win over the Vikings and the Loggers. They posted a time of 7:06.73, besting the second-place Vikings by more than six seconds.
The V8+ group hit the water later in the day for a second race. They took on Seattle U and Puget Sound, besting the Red Hawks and the Loggers. They improved their time from earlier in the day, covering the 2,000-meter course in 7:02.81. The time was more than 18 seconds quicker than that of DI Seattle U.
The V8+ shell earned conference recognition again after the Falcon Regatta on April 1. SPU swept the day against WWU, winning all six races. The SPU Varsity 8+ boat was tremendous on Saturday. They closed out the first flight with a tight race against WWU. It came down to a couple of boat lengths, but the Falcons edged past the Vikings with a time of 7:15.9. The V8+ boats opened the second flight of racing. SPU improved on their time with a 7:13.4 to best WWU.
The final GNAC Crew of the Week selection went to the Varsity 4+ and their performance at the Windermere Cup in Seattle. The V4+ crew of Lucy Sandahl, Megan Popielak, Anna Boatman, Megan Rouse, and Bella Lisenby were excellent throughout the middle part of the season and earned the honor from the conference on May 8. SPU lined up against Washington and Seattle U. The Falcons hustled to the 500-meter point in 1:55.3 but trailed the Huskies by a few seconds. SPU tried to chase down UW but couldn't make it happen. The Falcons took second with a time of 7:59.36.
FROM THE GNAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
The GNAC proved to be the toughest rowing conference in the country, as all four conference members are set to compete this weekend. Central Oklahoma added to its rowing pedigree with its second conference title as a part of the GNAC. They needed every bit of their 27 points, as they edged past Cal Poly Humboldt who took second with 26 points. Similarly, it was a one-point difference between third and fourth place. Western Washington took third with 19 points, while the Falcons ended the day in fourth place.
