WORCESTER, Mass. (May 9) ­ For the fourth time in five years, Seattle Pacific University has won a national title in the women's varsity four category following the Falcons' decisive performance at Sunday's ECAC National Invitational Rowing Championships on Lake Quinsigamond.

In a virtual repeat from a year ago on Mother's Day, Seattle Pacific beat its closest competitor by 11 seconds in the grand final. Along with their win in the semifinal, the Falcons have now won eight of nine races this season.

Beginning with a surge from the start line, SPU took the lead and continued to build on it. It finished with sprint, which was tailored more to hitting a projected time than a response from runner-up Tufts.

"They had open water after 500 and stretched out," said Coach Keith Jefferson, whose women's program has won a total of seven national titles in five years. "They wanted to get a good time, to set a standard. And from all the comments I heard from other crews, we were considered unbelievably fast."

Seattle Pacific's time of 7 minutes, 31.72 seconds was 25 seconds faster than the Div. I scholarship division winner, Marist (7:56.96).

The crew's lineup was stroke Sarah Zorn (Jr., Mercer Island, Wa./Lahser), Andrea Martineau (Sr., Superior, Mt.), Heidi Visser (Sr., Wenatchee, Wa.), Carley Bollen (So., Missoula, Mt./Valley Christian) and coxswain Joanna Hodgkiss (Jr., Tacoma, Wa./Puyallup). Zorn, Martineau and Visser won national titles a year ago and as novices in 2002.

"We had a couple new faces in the lineup this year, and you always wonder if you still have the magic," said Jefferson. "But starting under a bridge made them feel at home, like back in Fremont. They were ready at the start, and that's what you want."

This is the second repeat title for an SPU four, having also done so in 2000 and '01. Both the varsity and junior varsity four will row at the Pacific Coast Championships in Rancho Cordova, Ca., next weekend. The season will conclude with the Henley Women's Regatta June 18-20 in England.

Varsity 4 (semifinal): 1- Seattle Pacific 8:01.26, 2-Mount Holyoke 8:06.87, 3-Smith 8:09.17, 4-Mercyhurst 8:13.81, 5-Holy Cross 8:15.39

Varsity 4 (grand final): 1- Seattle Pacific 7:31.72, 2-Tufts 7:42.98, 3-Orange Coast 7:44.38, 4-Union 7:44.76, 5-Mount Holyoke 7:45.29, 6-Clark 7:47.73