No foolin’. Just when daylight was no longer an issue for those bright and early morning workouts, Seattle Pacific University will close-out the Standard Time portion of its schedule Saturday (Apr. 2) at the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference (NCRC) Invitational in Vancouver, Wa. It’s the third of six regular season regattas for the Falcons, who travel to northern California for the Blue Heron Redwood Sprints the following weekend.

A stern look. The pride of Coach Keith Jefferson’s fleet remains the women’s varsity four, which has won national championships four of the last five years. Two members of this year’s crew return from the lineup which claimed a second straight ECAC National Invitational title and advanced to the semifinal stage of the Henley Women’s Regatta in England last summer. Carly Bollen (Jr., Missoula, Mt./Valley Christian) went from the bow to stroke seat while Andi Martineau (Sr., Superior, Mt.) remains the No. 3. Alicia Apple (Jr., Sequim, Wa.), an alternate at Henley, slips into the 2 seat. Megan Sweeney (Jr., Wilsonville, Or./Westside Christian), the stroke from the j.v. boat, graduates to the varsity bow and Megan Giske (Jr., Gig Harbor, Wa./Gig Harbor) is the coxswain. Sarah Zorn, the stroke the past two years, will miss her final season with a back injury.

Young men. The men’s varsity four is an altogether new lineup and includes one novice. Stroke Jeremy Bryant (So., Gig Harbor, Wa./Gig Harbor), No. 3 Jason Mobley (Jr., Burien, Wa./Highline) and bow Jon Paul Ramirez (Sr., Chicago, Il./Hinsdale Central) move up from the j.v. crew and are joined by rookies Ben Zupke (Lynden, Wa./Lynden) at No. 2 and Jeney Wierman (So., Walla Walla, Wa.) as cox.

So far, so good. After a couple races, the SPU women’s four remains a frontrunner. That crew won its third straight Daffodil Cup crown last week in the wind and rain on American Lake. It was the 23rd win in 27 races over the past three-plus seasons in that category. They finished with open water on second-place Puget Sound. The Falcons also took third place in the men’s varsity four, fourth in the women’s novice four and fifth in the men’s novice race. All crews faced a stiff headwind of 10-15 miles per hour. In the season-opening scrimmage with Pacific Lutheran, Seattle Pacific swept all four races on the Lake Washington Ship Canal Mar. 19.

Women’s lineups.

• Varsity 4: Stroke–Carly Bollen; 3–Andi Martineau; 2–Alicia Apple; Bow–Megan Sweeney; Coxswain–Megan Giske
• Novice 4: Stroke–Kimberly Leinstock; 3–Katie Bobson; 2–Carolyn Robbins; Bow–Claire Walter; Coxswain–Megan Giske

Men’s lineups.

• Varsity 4: Stroke–Jeremy Bryant; 3–Jason Mobley; 2–Ben Zupke; Bow–Jon Paul Ramirez; Coxswain–Jeney Wierman
• Novice 4: Stroke–Ben Zupke; 3–Nate Shockey; 2–Charles Lowenkopf; Bow–Matt Hall; Cox–Jeney Wierman

Last week’s results:

• Men’s novice 4 - 1. Puget Sound 8:31, 2. Lewis & Clark 8:50, 3. Washington State-A 9:01, 4. Western Washington 9:12, 5. Seattle Pacific 9:25, 6. Washington State-B 9:32
• Women’s novice 4 - 1. Puget Sound-A 9:24, 2. Pacific Lutheran 9:28, 3. Puget Sound-B 9:50, 4. Seattle Pacific 10:08, 5. Evergreen 10:30, 6. Lewis & Clark 10:39
• Men’s varsity 4- 1. Washington State 7:46, 2. Puget Sound 7:46, 3. Seattle Pacific 8:14, 4. Pacific Lutheran 8:53
• Women’s varsity 4- 1. Seattle Pacific 8:44, 2. Puget Sound 8:51, 3. Lewis & Clark 9:12, 4. Pacific Lutheran-A 9:31, 5. Pacific Lutheran-B 10:08, 6. Evergreen 10:34

SPU Coaches. Keith Jefferson has steered Seattle Pacific University into uncharted waters in national prominence during his 14-year tenure as head coach. In the past six years alone, Jefferson’s Falcons have claimed national titles in seven events, medaled in four others and won regional crowns in 10. 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 n 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 daughter, Emma, and reside in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle. Jessica Pennington served as interim head coach in 2003 and returns as an assistant for her fourth 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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