This week...
Sat., Mar. 24, 7:50 a.m. -- ROWING at BLUE HERON SPRINTS, Humboldt Bay, Eureka, Ca.

Complete Women's Crew Schedule

Complete Men's Crew Schedule

California here they come...
College spring breaks are known for their road trips, but this week's venture by the Seattle Pacific University rowers is all business. The Falcons make their annual sojourn to Northern California for the Blue Heron Sprints, where they will be joined by boats from California, Mills, host Humboldt State, Pacific Lutheran, Saint Mary's, Seattle University and Willamette this Saturday (Mar. 24). Afterwards, SPU takes a week off before resuming racing.

Ladies first...
Coach Keith Jefferson's (11th year) women's team is coming off some promising results from the annual spring scrimmage on Tacoma's American Lake. Last week the women's varsity four, novice four, lightweight novice four and J.V. four won their races, most of them handily. The light four was a close second place. For the men, the novice four and light were third and the varsity four took fourth.

One holdover...
A year ago, the Falcons claimed their first national title, winning the women's varsity four at Champion International. Jessie Pennington (Sr., Englewood, Co./Riverview Christian), the sole returnee from that boat, is in the No. 2 seat. Cayti Gibson (Sr., Blaine, Wa.), who rowed with Pennington in the national bronze-medal boat of 1999, has returned. She is joined by two members of the 2000 novices who raced at Dad Vail. Sandra Richards (So., Brush Prairie, Wa./Prairie) is in the bow and Lindsay Dilschneider (So., Yakima, Wa./West Valley) is in the stern at coxswain.

Varsity lineups...

Women's Varsity Four
Coxswain-Lindsay Dilschneider (Fr., Yakima, Wa./West Valley);
Stroke-Kimberly Tschetter (Jr., Sioux Falls, SD/Lincoln);
3-Cayti Gibson (Sr., Blaine, Wa.);
2-Jessie Pennington (Sr., Englewood, Co./Riverview Christian));
bow- Sandra Richards (So., Brush Prairie, Wa./Prairie).

Women's Light Four
Coxswain-Angie Stearns (Fr., Stanwood, Wa.);
Stroke-Elyse Cansler (Fr., Longview, Wa./R.A. Long);
3-Trisha Weber (Fr., Selah, Wa.);
2-Erin Cox (Sr., Olympia, Wa./Black Hills);
bow-Andrea Reichert (Fr., Bloomington, Mn./Thomas Jefferson).

Men's Varsity Four:
Coxswain-Jennifer Helseth (Fr., Leavenworth, Wa./Cascade);
Stroke-Reid Shipley (So., Escondido, Ca./An Pasqual);
3-Tyler Van Stright (Fr., Grand Rapids, Mi.Grand Rapids Christian);
2-Mike Lucero (Jr., Moses Lake, Wa.);
bow-Clyde Williams (Fr., Amarillo, Tx./Subiaco Acad.).

Men's Lightweight Four:
Coxswain-Jennifer Helseth (Fr., Leavenworth, Wa./Cascade);
Stroke-Mike Lucero (Jr., Moses Lake, Wa.);
3-Joel Braman (Fr., Wyoming, Mi./Calvin Christian);
2-Kyle Glines (So., Meridian, Id.);
bow-Trevor Winters (Fr., Spokane, Wa./North Central).

Short strokes...
The SPU women's four won by less than a boat-length over Pacific Lutheran in last week's scrimmage and both will be at the Blue Heron. The women's four is the only category which will have qualifying heats...The Falcons, getting wins from the varsity eight, novice four, light novice four and second novice eight, edged Humboldt State for the women's overall title at Eureka last season. The men are defending champions in the light four.