California, here they come. In their final races prior to the conference championships, the Seattle Pacific University men's and women's rowers will dip their oars in the waters of the Pacific at the 20th annual Blue Heron Redwood Sprints on the Eureka, Ca., waterfront Saturday (Apr. 19). The Falcons will be joined by crews from California, Oregon, Willamette, Mills College and host Humboldt State on Humboldt Bay. Next week, SPU competes in the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference Championships on Lake Stevens.

Four wins fourth. The Falcons remained undefeated in women's varsity four races, going to 4-0 after a win at last week's Covered Bridge Regatta. They beat a couple Oregon State boats head-to-head and also finished with a superior time to two other OSU crews in a second heat. That makes the lineup of rowers Sarah Zorn (So., Mercer Island, Wa./Lahser), Shannon Buehler (So., Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower), Heidi Visser (So., Wenatchee, Wa./Wenatchee) and Andi Martineau (Jr., Superior, Mt./Superior) now 16-0 as collegians. They were 12-0 as novices. Also staying undefeated was the women's junior varsity four, which defeated Portland. Using a mix of novice and varsity, the men's light four finished first amongst a field of open weight boats in the JV race for its second win of the spring.

Covered Bridge Regatta Results

Lineups

SPU Coaches. Keith Jefferson has steered Seattle Pacific University into uncharted waters in national prominence during his 12-year tenure as head coach. In the past four years alone, Jefferson's Falcons have claimed national titles in four events, medaled in four others and won regional crowns in seven. A past oarsman, alumnus and assistant coach, Jefferson became the fifth head coach at Seattle Pacific University in the fall of 1990. This spring he has taken a leave of absence after being called up to active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps. An active member of the Marines from 1983-87, Jefferson, a major in the reserves, will retire from the reserves upon his return in June. Jessica Pennington, assistant to Jefferson for the past year, will serve as interim head coach. She will be assisted by Trisha Sawatzky. Pennington was oarsman of the year and an all-region selection as a senior in 2001 when she rowed in the national title varsity four. Sawatzky was a member of last year's national championship pair, all-region pick and SPU co-athlete of the year. Under Jefferson, the Falcons have emerged as a regional force in small college rowing. Both men's and women's boats have proved competitive at the national level in recent years. The women's varsity four won back-to-back Avaya Collegiate Championships in 2000 and 2001 after placing third in 1999. Sawatzky and Kimberly Tschetter won the varsity pair title in 2002 along with the novice four. The men's four finished fifth in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association in 1995, the lightweight four was second at Dad Vail in 2000 and the novice four third in 2001. Regionally, Jefferson's fleet has medaled 18 times at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association and Pacific Coast Rowing Championships, including seven golds. SPU has totaled 36 Northwest Collegiate Rowing titles since 1994, punctuated by the school's first overall conference women's crown in 2001.

Missing links. For the latest and best information on Seattle Pacific University athletics, stay where you're at -- on The Falcons Online. For updated standings and statistics, see the Great Northwest Athletic Conference web site.