British: We’re coming. Seattle Pacific University will send its two-time national championship women’s varsity four crew overseas to England next week for the 17th annual Henley Women’s Regatta. This represents the first time the Falcons have competed for a championship in an international event of any sport. Racing begins Saturday (June 19) at Henley-On-Thames, located about 40 miles northwest of London.

Quest for the cup. Seattle Pacific will contend for the Frank Harry Cup in the senior category. The other North American crews in this division are Saint Catharines (Ontario, Canada), Boston College, Stanford and Princeton, with the balance of the 12-team field comprised of teams from throughout Britain. The Falcons must win four 1500-meter match races to claim the cup. Their first race is against locals Marlow, with the winner advancing to an afternoon meeting with Royal Chester. Semifinals and the grand final will be contested Sunday.

Red-hot but idle. It will have been five weeks since SPU last raced when the Henley Women’s Regatta begins. Seattle Pacific won nine of 10 races during the domestic season, including a second straight ECAC National Invitational Championship in Worcester, Mass., May 9 and a first-ever Pacific Coast Championship in Rancho Cordova, Calif., May 15. Since that latter victory, the team has trained regularly and taken final exams. The travel party departs Seattle June 13 and returns home June 22.

Time to break-up the boat. Coach Keith Jefferson and the rowing program has never had such a dominant class of rowers as the stern trio in this varsity four. Stroke Sarah Zorn (Jr., Mercer Island, Wa./Lahser), Heidi Visser (Jr., Wenatchee, Wa.) and Andi Martineau (Jr., Superior, Mt.) were holdovers from the ‘03 championship crew, and they also won the national novice crown in ‘02. Coxswain Joanna Hodgkiss (Sr., Tacoma, Wa./Puyallup) has steered two boats to national titles, including the lightweight four in 2003. Completing that varsity lineup is bow seat Carly Bollen (So., Missoula, Mt./Valley Christian). The alternate is Alicia Apple (So., Sequim, Wa.). Henley will mark the end of the racing careers of Visser (scheduled to graduate early) and Hodgkiss.

The racing form. Few of the Falcons’ races have come down to the final sprint, with an average margin of 11.8 seconds over the nearest rival. The sole loss came Apr. 17 in Eureka, Calif., after Martineau was a late scratch due to back spasms. Only two races, the national semifinal and PCRC grand final, were closer than 6 seconds.

Latest batch of awards. Hodgkiss picked-up a couple more awards last week, making the Verizon Academic All-District VIII at-large team and earning the Falcon Award for Excellence for career achievement in athletics, academics and leadership. In the team awards, Bollen was oarsman of the year and co-captain, Zorn the most inspirational, and Hodgkiss received the coaches award.

Women's Results

• Varsity 4 (Div. I grand final): 1- Seattle Pacific 7:45.1, 2-Saint Mary's 7:49.3, 3-San Diego State 7:55.8, 4-UC Santa Barbara 7:58.3, 5-USC 8:05.4, 6-Oregon 8:07.0
• Varsity 4 (Div. II grand final): 1-UC San Diego 8:14.5, 2-Humboldt State 8:16.6, 3- Western Washington 8:19.9, 4-Seattle Pacific JV 8:32.4

Women’s lineups.

• Varsity 4: Stroke–Sarah Zorn; 3–Andi Martineau; 2–Heidi Visser; Bow–Carly Bollen; Coxswain–Joanna Hodgkiss.

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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