California, here they come. Two of Seattle Pacific University’s premier crews get a shot at redemption this weekend at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships Saturday and Sunday (Apr. 29-30) on Lake Natoma. Both the women’s varsity eight and men’s varsity four are making the trip to the Sacramento area. Next week the Falcons will send their varsity fours to the Opening Day Regatta in the Montlake Cut.

Tougher, warmer. Both WIRA entries would like to prove that their experiences at last week’s Northwest Collegiate Rowing Championships were aberrations. The women were effectively stopped just a few strokes into the race while the men, troubled by choppy water, were not just beaten for the first time, but placed fourth overall. If anything the competition gets tougher this time around, yet the weather should be sparkling. Forecasts call for temperatures in the high 80s this weekend. The WIRA attracts teams from throughout California as well as the Northwest. Among the entries in the women’s eight field are West Region rivals UC San Diego and Humboldt State.

A golden pairing. The women’s varsity pair and men’s novice four crews claimed victories at the NCRC Championships on Lake Stevens last week. Megan Sweeney (Sr., Wilsonville, Or.) and Alicia Apple (Sr., Sequim, Wa.) combined for the first time this season and took command midway through their race. They then held on to edge Western Washington by 1 second in the pair competition. It marked the 10th straight year that the SPU women have won at least one varsity event at the conference level and the 16th altogether during that span. Overcoming three collisions with buoys, the novice men rallied to take the lead in the final 300 meters and prevailed by 8 seconds over Western Washington. The Falcons’ two top boats had disappointing races. The women’s varsity eight was hit by the Humboldt State crew shortly after the start and could not recover. Afterward, the Lumberjacks were penalized, resulting in a dead heat between the two rivals. The men’s varsity four had difficulty coping with the rough water resulting from a stiff north wind and placed fourth. On the bright side, the women’s novice eight was a surprising runner-up.

NCRC Results.

• Women’s Varsity 8: 1-Lewis & Clark 6:56.7, 2-Puget Sound 7:01.4, 3-Western Washington 7:03.4, 4-Willamette 7:06.7, 5- Pacific Lutheran 7:12.1, 6-(dead heat) Seattle Pacific and Humboldt State 7:37.6
• Women’s Pair: 1-Seattle Pacific 8:51.3, 2-Western Washington 8:52.3, 3-Puget Sound 9:01.8, 4-Puget Sound 9:31.8, 5-Pacific Lutheran 9:37.9
• Women’s Novice 8: 1-Western Washington 7:20.9, 2-Seattle Pacific 7:50.3, 3-Humboldt State 7:51.6, 4-Pacific Lutheran 7:53.6, 5-Puget Sound-A 7:55.1, 6. Lewis & Clark 8:03.5, 7-Puget Sound-B 8:30.2
• Men’s Varsity 4: 1-Western Washington 6:57.9, 2-Puget Sound 7:01.3, 3-Lewis & Clark 7:10.8, 4-Seattle Pacific 7:16.6, 5-Humboldt State 7:22, 6-Willamette 7:48.7
• Men’s Novice 4: 1-Seattle Pacific 7:29.2, 2-Western Washington 7:37.4, 3-Puget Sound 7:53.3, 4-Willamette 8:14.8

Women’s lineups.

• Varsity 8: Stroke–Alicia Apple; 7–Megan Sweeney; 6–Rachel Savage; 5–Katie Wolff; 4–Holly Allan; 3–Kimberly Leinstock; 2–Rebecca Snow; bow–Liz Boettcher; coxswain–Megan Giske
• Varsity 4: Stroke–Alicia Apple; 3–Megan Sweeney; 2–Rachel Savage; bow–Katie Wolff; coxswain–Megan Giske
• Varsity Pair: Stroke–Alicia Apple; bow–Megan Sweeney.
• Novice 4: Stroke–Holly Allan; 3–Rachel Ward; 2–Adrien Camp; bow–Liz Boettcher; coxswain–Matthew Shi

Men’s lineups.

• Varsity 4: Stroke–Jeremy Bryant; 3–John Chevigny; 2–Jonathan Dyk; Bow–Ben Zupke; coxswain–Jeney Wierman
• Novice 4: Stroke–Jonathan Dyk; 3–Casey Esmond; 2–Justin Rowley; Bow–Zeke Schellberg; coxswain–Matthew Shi

SPU Coaches. Keith Jefferson has steered Seattle Pacific University into uncharted waters in national prominence during his 15-year tenure as head coach. In the past seven 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 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 daughter, Emma, and reside in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle. Andi Martineau, a member of championship fours in 2003 and ‘04, is in her first year as assistant. Kip Wassink, who stroked a varsity four at Dad Vail in 1999, is also new to the staff.

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