Next races...
Sat., Apr. 7, 7 a.m. -- ROWING at HUSKY INVITATIONAL, Montlake Cut, Seattle, Wa
Sat.-Sun., Apr. 7-8, 7 a.m. -- ROWING at SAN DIEGO CREW CLASSIC, Mission Bay, San Diego, Ca.

Complete Women's Crew Schedule

Complete Men's Crew Schedule

Crossed purposes...
The difference between one Seattle Pacific University boat and the others in the rowing fleet will be about a thousand miles when the Falcons return to racing Saturday (Apr. 7). While the women's varsity four will compete in the San Diego Crew Classic, the rest of the crew will stay close to home, at the Husky Invitational on the Montlake Cut.

Amongst the big schools...
The Falcons will find themselves among some big-name schools at San Diego. Twenty-one teams are entered in the California Cup (varsity four division), including UCLA, Kansas State, Rice and Tennessee. SPU is pitted against North Carolina, San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, Purdue, Southern Methodist and Pacific Lutheran in its qualifying heat. The top seven finishers from the three heats advance to the grand final Sunday (Apr. 8), the next seven to the petite final and the last seven to the third final. The San Diego Crew Classic is regarded as the most prestigious of all early-season regattas.

The elusive grand finale...
Coach Keith Jefferson (11th year) has been taking women's crews to San Diego for the past four years but none‹not the lightweight eights from 1997-99 nor the varsity four last season--has reached the grand final. The best finish for the Falcons was the victory in the petite final of the light eight in '97. A year ago, the varsity four finished seventh in the third final.

The usual suspects...
At the Husky Invitational, Seattle Pacific is entered in five categories: the men's varsity four, light four and J.V. eight and women's varsity four and light four. The rest of the field is comprised of teams from Washington, Gonzaga, Western Washington, Oregon, Puget Sound, Willamette, Washington State and Oregon State, plus local rowing clubs. The Falcons are defending champions in the men's light four.

One holdover...
In its first official race of the spring season, SPU won two races and the women finished a close third overall at the Blue Heron Sprints last weekend. The Falcon women finished first in the women's novice four and lightweight novice four and were runner-up varsity eight and varsity four categories. Seattle Pacific won its qualifying heat in the varsity four but finished a just over a boat-length behind Willamette in the final. Willamette clinched the overall point title for the women with a win in the varsity eight race. Host Humboldt State was one point back and Seattle Pacific, the defending regatta champion, four points behind. The men took second place in the varsity two, open four and novice four. In the men's standings, Pacific Lutheran was first. SPU finished fifth.

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
Cox-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.);
No. 3-Joel Braman (Fr., Wyoming, Mi./Calvin Christian);
No. 2-Kyle Glines (So., Meridian, Id.);
bow-Trevor Winters (Fr., Spokane, Wa./North Central).

Short strokes...
The women's novice four remains unbeaten, having won the season-opening American Lake scrimmage Mar. 17...Both the men's and women's teams will return to racing Apr. 14 at the Governor's Cup in Salem, Ore.