Next races...
Sat., Apr. 14, 11 a.m. -- ROWING at GOVERNOR'S CUP, Willamette River, Salem, Or.
Sat., Apr. 21, 8 a.m. -- ROWING at CASCADE SPRINTS, American Lake, Tacoma, Wa.

Complete Women's Crew Schedule

Complete Men's Crew Schedule

A natural progression...
The stakes will be raised incrementally the next few weekends as Seattle Pacific University's rowing season approaches the various championship stages. The Falcons take their fleet south to the Willamette Valley for the fourth annual Governor's Cup regatta Saturday (Apr. 14) as the precursor to the Apr. 21 conference championships, the Cascade Sprints.

Better than a ouija board...
A year ago in Salem, the Governor's Cup proved to be an accurate predictor for the SPU fortunes at the conference level. The Falcons won the women's varsity four, novice four and lightweight novice four categories on the Willamette River and, one week later, fared just as well on Tacoma's American Lake to earn gold medals. Joining Seattle Pacific in Oregon will be conference foes Humboldt State, Puget Sound, Portland State and host Willamette.

Boats to watch...
So far this spring, the women's novice four and light novice four are unbeaten in two outings while the men's team got its first victory in three regattas last week in the light four at the Husky Invitational. The women's varsity four, which raced at the San Diego Crew Classic last week, finished a close second to Willamette Mar. 24 at the Blue Heron Sprints.

Weather or not...
Coach Keith Jefferson (11th year) took the women's varsity to San Diego, hoping for some sunny weather and to end a four-year drought of missing the grand final. Instead, Mother Nature swapped heavy rain and surf for the sun and the women's four found its second race canceled due to the stormy conditions. The Falcons finished sixth out of seven boats‹beating PLU‹and would've been part of the third final later that day had racing not been delayed for six hours. North Carolina won the prelim race in 6:49 and went on to take third place in the grand final Sunday. SPU was timed in 7:07.

Bluest skies ever seen...
Wouldn't it figure that the calm water and blue skies were back in the Falcons' backyard. The Husky Invitational featured not only better weather but better results as SPU won both the men's and women's light fours and finished third in the men's varsity four. It was the second year in a row that the men had won that category they finished with open water on second-place Willamette. The margin in the women's race was nearly three boat-lengths over the Bearcats. Two Washington crews went 1-2 in the men's varsity four.

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).