RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. (Apr. 29) ­ Seattle Pacific University recovered from a slow start to earn a place in the grand final of the men's varsity four category at the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships Saturday on Lake Natoma.

The Falcons veered outside their lane, then recovered to move into second place in their preliminary heat. They finished 2.3 seconds behind Long Beach State but both boats advanced to Sunday, where they will be joined by Oregon, Puget Sound, Western Washington and Loyola Marymount.

Elsewhere, the SPU women's varsity eight will row in the petite final. They took fourth in their qualifying heat.

Men's Varsity 4 (heat 2): 1-Long Beach State 6:49.9, 2-Seattle Pacific 6:52.2, 3-Lewis & Clark 6:54.6, 4-Cal Lights 7:06.8

Women's Varsity 8 (heat 2): 1-Sonoma State 7:12.5, 2-Orange Coast 7:17.3, 3-Humboldt State 7:19.1, 4-Seattle Pacific 7:21.3