WEST WINDSOR, NJ – The Seattle Pacific University women's rowing varsity 8+ is headed to the grand final at the NCAA National Championships after advancing through the repechage while the varsity 4+ will compete in the petite final on Saturday.
"Overall, today went as planned," head coach Caitlin McClain said. "We went into our heats knowing we'd seen our entire GNAC West Region competitors and knew where their speed was. Coming into the rep this afternoon, we had to go after it and put it out there. We said from again the beginning that we were looking to have our best race in the rep, our best race yet, and tomorrow, hopefully, will be our best race."
The V8+ squared off against Western Washington and Central Oklahoma in their heat race. The Falcons got off to a strong start. They were in second place at the 500-meter mark with a two-second lead over the Bronchos. The Vikings led throughout the race and advanced to Saturday's grand final with a 6:58.542. SPU finished with a time of 7:08.641.
The Falcons V8+ had an excellent performance in the repechage. SPU battled Embry Riddle for the top spot in the race. The Falcons finished with a 7:04.434. They were 1.695 seconds behind the Eagles. Both teams advanced to Saturday's grand final.
"I think we laid a good foundation today, and each race, we were excited to go out there and attack and see what we could do," Rekedal said. "Each race, we improved a little bit. I'm excited to attack the second 1,000-meter in tomorrow's grand final. That is where the pain comes in in the race, and it can be tough to overcome. Today, we felt good in our rep about fighting with Embry Riddle and holding them kind of all the way. We're excited to attack again tomorrow and just see what we can put out there."
The V4+ took on Cal Poly Humboldt and Western Washington in their heat. The Vikings took a narrow lead at the 500-meter mark. The Lumberjacks gained control of the race shortly after. CPH advanced to the grand final with a time of 7:43.210. SPU clocked at 8:02.345.
The V4+ needed to finish inside the top two in the repechage to advance into the grand final. The Falcons made a daring charge at the Vikings during the middle of the race. The Vikings found a way to separate themselves from the Falcons. SPU took third with a 7:57.298 and is set for the petite final.
Tomorrow, the Falcons V4+ races at 8:00 a.m. PST in the petite final. Then at 9:00 a.m. PST, the V8+ races in the grand final.
LINEUPS
Varsity 8+
c: Aleksia Haugen, 8: Amelia Pape, 7: Emma Jones, 6: Audrey Rekedal, 5: Solanes Capps-Mace, 4: Bella Lisenby, 3: Grace Combs, 2: Gem Gatmaytan, 1: Addie Clark
Varsity 4+
c: Lexi Roybal, 4; Emmerson Spencer, 3: Emma Ely, 2: Megan Rouse, 1: Brittan Dalberg
Spares
Elizabeth Chapman, Sasha Kolobovnikov
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