Fleet ships out. While one crew seeks to maintain its grip on the championship, two other Seattle Pacific University teams of rowers are determined to make history this weekend on the East Coast. The men’s lightweight four and novice four will go after the Falcons’ first national men’s crow at the Dad Vail Regatta, which is Friday and Saturday (May 7-8) on the Schuykill River in Philadelphia. On Sunday (May 9), the scene shifts four states and a couple hundred miles away to Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, Mass., where the SPU women’s varsity four aims to repeat as winner of the ECAC National Invitational Championships. Whatever happens to the latter crew, they’ll keep rowing. They are entered in the Pacific Coast Rowing Championships May 15 in Rancho Cordova, Ca., and the Henley Women’s Regatta, June 18-20.

A good thing going. Seattle Pacific has gotten in the habit of bringing back some booty from national regattas, with women’s pairs and fours taking first six times in four years. Last year, the light four won at Dad Vail and the varsity four at the ECAC. Meanwhile, the men are looking for their first national gold. Both regattas feature qualifying heats. With 18 schools entered at the ECAC, SPU must finish first or second in its is Mother’s Day morning race to advance to that afternoon’s grand final. All Dad Vail qualifying heats are Friday, with grand finals the following day.

The racing form. Two of the three eastbound crews are riding the crest of considerable momentum, having captured conference and regional championships in the past two weeks. The men’s lights are now 5-0 following their win by a bow at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association (WIRA) Championships in Rancho Cordova. Seattle Pacific won its second straight WIRA women’s varsity title by a convincing 11 seconds. The men’s novices were third yet have won four times and finished second twice.

Experience counts. Coach Keith Jefferson has several experienced rowers in his national contingent. The women’s varsity features three rowers–stroke Sarah Zorn (Jr., Mercer Island, Wa./Lahser), Heidi Visser (Jr., Wenatchee, Wa.) and Andi Martineau (Jr., Superior, Mt.)–who won the ECAC in ‘04 and a novice national title in ‘03. In fact, those three have been involved with crews which have won 26 of 29 races over three seasons, including six of seven this spring. Coxswain Joanna Hodgkiss (Tacoma, Wa./Puyallup) was with the champion light four last year and bronze medalist with the light four the previous season. Completing that crew is Carly Bollen (So., Missoula, Mt./Valley Christian) in the bow seat. For the men, stroke Joel Braman (Sr., Wyoming, Mi./Calvin Christian) and Trevor Winters (Sr., Spokane, Wa./North Central) rowed as freshmen at Dad Vail in 2001. Cox Emily Thomas (Jr., Grants Pass, Or.) steered the women’s novices to the title two years ago.

WIRA coming home. At the WIRA Championships, the Falcons beat the heat and the rest of the West in the women’s varsity and men’s light four. The women used a strong start to move in front, and then continued to pull away. They finished 11.4 seconds ahead of runner-up Gonzaga. Orange Coast College, which is also bound for Worcester, was third. The light four shadowed UC Santa Barbara for the first 1500 meters, then out-sprinted the Gauchos to prevail by 0.7 seconds for their second regional crown in four years. The men’s novice four was unable to atone for a sluggish start and finished behind Lewis & Clark (a team, coached by alum Josh Adam, which the Falcons had beaten twice previously) and Long Beach State. The men’s pair finished fourth.

SPU Coaches. Keith Jefferson has steered Seattle Pacific University into uncharted waters in national prominence during his 13-year tenure as head coach. In the past five years alone, Jefferson’s Falcons have claimed national titles in six events, medaled in four others and won regional crowns in eight. A past oarsman, alumnus and assistant coach, Jefferson became the fifth head coach at Seattle Pacific University in the fall of 1990. In 2003 he took a leave of absence after being called up to active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps. A lieutenant colonel in the reserves, Jefferson was an active member of the Marines from 1983-87. Jefferson succeeded Jim Schultz as coordinator of the program after serving two seasons as an assistant. A graduate of Bothell High School, Jefferson rowed for Seattle Pacific from 1979-83. He was a member of the light four which advanced to the semifinal at the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia in 1982. Keith and his wife Lori have a son, Randy, and reside in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle. Jessica Pennington served as interim head coach in 2003 and returns as an assistant for her third season. 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.

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