EDMOND, Okla. – The Seattle Pacific University women's rowing team overcame long travel, schedule changes, and tough competition to finish third overall at the UCO Invite on Saturday.
"While the weather posed numerous challenges for both logistics and race conditions, our trip to the UCO Invite was incredibly valuable," head coach Caitlin McClain said. "We improved upon our ranking in the West and demonstrated that we are faster than Thomas Jefferson from the north and in striking distance of the strong team from the southern region in Embry Riddle."
The UCO Invite was scheduled to be a one-day event. High winds in the forecast shifted the competition to Friday evening and Saturday morning. Consistent performances from the Falcons after a busy travel schedule led to a third-place finish. Embry-Riddle took the event with 62 overall points, while Cal Poly Humboldt finished second with 58 points. The Falcons collected 43 points for a third-place finish.
The first flight of the Varsity 8+ featured a close finish. The Bronchos edged out the Eagles and the Falcons for second place. UCO clocked a 7:11.8, while ERAU took third with a 7:12.3. SPU grabbed third with fourth with a 7:13.5.
The Falcons cut time in the second flight of V8+ on Friday evening. They finished with a time of 7:08.0 and took third. The Eagles grabbed second with a 7:07.3. The Lumberjacks won both flights with times of 7:04.9 and 7:04.0.
"The V8+'s first race, in which they finished fourth, had a strong starting sequence and middle move but mistimed the sprint," McClain said. "The crew had a positive and productive debrief during the break and returned in the evening race to have one of their best races yet and beat Central Oklahoma. The V8+ did not fare as well in their third race. They had a great start and first 750 meters, but when they hit the roughest water at the 1000-meter mark, they couldn't power through."
The Falcons finished third in both flights of Friday's portion of the event. SPU rowed to an 8:08.1 in the first flight and beat out UCO's time of 8:09.1. The Falcons shaved time in the second flight with a 7:58.1. They trailed the Lumberjacks (7:43.1) and the Eagles (7:51.0).
The Falcons finished in the highest in the final flight of V4+ on Saturday morning. SPU ran an 8:18.33 and finished second behind ERAU's 8:13.29.
"The V4+ had a solid first race and were bow to bow ball with Central Oklahoma and Thomas Jefferson down the course," McClain said. "They surged ahead during the sprint but felt was the weakest part of the race. In the next round, they had a more commanding lead on both and posted their fastest time of the season."
The Falcons look forward to the WIRA Championships on April 26-27 in Gold River, Calif. on Lake Natoma.
LINEUPS
VARSITY 8+
c: Aleksia Haugen, 8: Gem Gatmaytan 7: Solanes Capps-Mace, 6: Audrey Rekedal, 5: Bella Lisenby, 4: Megan Rouse, 3: Grace Combs, 2: Amelia Pape, 1: Addie Clark
VARSITY 4+
c: Lexi Roybal, 4: Racquel Wesley, 3: Emma Jones, 2: Emmerson Spencer, 1: Emma Ely
SPARES
Elizabeth Chapman, Brittan Dalberg
SPU SOCIAL
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