Four in three. For the third year in a row the Seattle Pacific University women's rowing program won a national championship, only in 2002 the Falcons doubled their pleasure. Following varsity four titles in 2000 and '01, SPU took first place in the varsity pair and novice four categories at the Dad Vail Regatta, May 11 in Philadelphia, giving the program four crowns in the past three years.

Uncharted waters. Not only was the two championships unprecedented, so was the manner in which they were achieved. The pair and novice four became the first Seattle Pacific crews to finish a season unbeaten. The duo of Kimberly Tschetter (Sr., Sioux Falls, SD/Lincoln) and Trisha Sawatzky (Sr., Federal Way, Wa./Decatur) went 7-0 while the novice four was 12-0. Coach Keith Jefferson watched as the pair won the Dad Vail grand final by 10 seconds and the novices prevailed by 6.7 seconds. Rowing for the novices was stroke Sarah Zorn (Fr., Mercer Island, Wa./Lahser), Shannon Buehler (Fr., Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower), Heidi Visser (Fr., Wenatchee, Wa./Wenatchee) and Andi Martineau (So., Superior, Mt./Superior) with Emily Thomas (Fr., Grants Pass, Or./Grants Pass) as coxswain. In addition, the women's lightweight four captured a national bronze by taking third place. That lineup was stroke Andrea Reichert (So., Bloomington, Mn./Thomas Jefferson), Julie Vieselmeyer (Jr., Coeur d'Alene, Id./Lake City), Elyse Cansler (Longview, Wa./R.A. Long), Erin Cox (So., Olympia, Wa./Black Hills) and coxswain Joanna Hodgkiss (So., Tacoma, Wa./Puyallup).

Graduating with honors. While the novices (four freshmen and a sophomore) are all expected back, Tschetter and Sawatzky capped their respective careers with the national title. Sawatzky swept the postseason individual honors, earning all-conference, all-region, academic all-district and alternate for the Division II All-America team en route to sharing SPU Athlete of the Year award. She became the first female rower to win the award. For Tschetter, the stroke of the varsity four last season, it was her second trip to the top.

Sound minds. Seven members of the women's crew, including four members of the varsity light four, earned national scholar-athlete awards from the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association. Named to the Division II team were Cansler (3.71, sociology major), Cox (3.62, nutrition science), Hodgkiss (3.78, business administration), Martineau (3.81, biology), Sawatzky (3.79, physics), Vieselmeyer (3.69, psychology/music) and Trish Weber (3.62, nursing). To be eligible, a rower or coxswain must have a 3.5 or higher grade point average and be participating in the sport for at least a second year.

Short strokes. In addition to the women's novice four and varsity pair, the varsity four won six regattas and finished second in its other two outings while the light four won six and took third twice. For the men, the light four posted three wins and three silvers while the varsity four had two wins, two silvers and a bronze. The men's pair won twice in four regattas...In four regattas, the women's novice four won with superior times to that of the winning varsity four boats over the same course.

Dad Vail results:

Preliminary Heats

Frosh/Novice 4: 1-Seattle Pacific 8:22.6; 2-Carnegie Mellon 8:31.7; 3-Fordham 8:32.1; 4-North Carolina State 8:35.2

Lightweight 4: 1-Seattle Pacific 8:17.3; 2-Tennessee-Chattanooga 8:22.7; 3-Central Florida 8:24.8; 4-Duquesne 8:34.1; 5-New York U. 8:35.9; 6-Amherst 8:37.4

Varsity Pair: 1-Seattle Pacific 8:51.6; 2-Penn State 8:54.0; 3-Washington U. 9:39.4; 4-Mary Washington 9:50.6; 5-Central Florida 10:02.3

Grand Finals

Women's Varsity Pair: 1-Seattle Pacific 8:08.1; 2-Bucknell 8:18.2; 3-New York U. 8:19.1; 4-Carnegie Mellon 8:24.6; 5-Penn State 8:41.2; 6-Tennessee-Knoxville 9:20.2

Women's Lightweight Four: 1-Georgia 7:25.3; 2-Carnegie Mellon 7:49.3; 3-Seattle Pacific 7:49.5; 4-Tennessee-Chattanooga 7:59.5; 5-New York Maritime 8:03.2; 6-Marrietta 8:11.2

Women's Frosh/Novice Four: 1-Seattle Pacific 7:24.7; 2-Georgia 7:31.4; 3-Massachusetts 7:36.7; 4-Bowdoin 7:38.3; 5-Loyola (Md.) 7:38.5; 6-Pittsburgh 7:53.0

Women's lineups.

• Varsity 4: Stroke­Kimberly Tschetter; 3­Trisha Sawatzky; 2­Andi Martineau; Bow­Trisha Weber; Cox­Lindsay Dilschneider.
• Varsity Light 4: Stroke­Andrea Reichert; 3­Julie Vieselmeyer; 2­Elyse Cansler; Bow­Erin Cox; Cox­Joanna Hodgkiss
• Novice 4: Stroke­Sarah Zorn; 3­Shannon Buehler; 2­Heidi Visser; Bow­Andi Martineau; Cox­Emily Thomas.
• Junior Varsity 4: Stroke­Andrea Reichert; 3­Julie Vieselmeyer; 2­Elyse Cansler; Bow­Erin Cox/Trisha Weber; Cox­Lindsay Dilschneider.
• Varsity Pair: Stroke­Kimberly Tschetter; Bow­Trisha Sawatzky.

Men's lineups.

• Varsity 4: Stroke­Mike Lucero; 3­Reid Shipley; 2­Tyler Van Stright; Bow­Trevor Winters; Cox­Jennifer Helseth.
• Varsity Light 4: Stroke­Mike Lucero; 3­Trevor Winters; 2­Kyle Glines; Bow­Joel Braman; Cox­Jennifer Helseth.
• Novice 4: Stroke­Phil Walter; 3­Peter Small; 2­David Johns; Bow­Brandon Cooper; Cox­Kristina Richards.
• Varsity Pair: Stroke­Tyler Van Stright; Bow­Reid Shipley.