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Women Stay In West, Men Close Year Out East
SPU Rowing Season Comes To Close On Weekend
May 10, 2006

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2006 Men's Results

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Short Strokes

A realistic objective for the women’s eight is to finish ahead of Humboldt State in the region. In their five meetings this season–all decided by fewer than 5 seconds–the Falcons have won once, the Lumberjacks three times with one dead heat...Jefferson jostled the bow portion of his women’s eight lineup, inserting Rachel Ward and Katie Wilner and moving Kimberly Leinstock from the third to fourth seat. Apart from Leinstock and the stern pair of Alicia Apple and Megan Sweeny, the other five members of the lineup are freshmen and/or novices...Jeremy Bryant, the men’s stroke, was a member of the novice four which advanced to the Dad Vail semifinals two years ago...The highest finish for an SPU varsity men’s crew was second by the lightweight four at the 2000 Dad Vail. The best finish by an open four was third at the 1981 Dad Vail...Seattle Pacific won the 2004 PCRC women’s four title. A light eight took third in 1996 and second ‘86...This is the first time in Jefferson’s 16-year tenure that the varsity eight has been emphasized as the Falcons adapt to the NCAA qualification format...A point system determines the West Region team champion. The first-place eight receives 12 points, the runner-up nine and third-place six. The four winner gets eight points, with second receiving six and third four...The regional champion earns an automatic berth to the fifth annual NCAA Championships, where three regional champions and one at-large berth make up the four-team field. Two at-large eights will also be selected. The final participants will be announced May 16...Western Washington is looking to earn a third straight automatic berth to nationals. The Vikings have been No. 1 in the West throughout the season in both the eight and four...Jefferson will go east with the men’s contingent while assistant coach Andi Martineau accompanies the women’s crew.

They went thattaway. Seattle Pacific University’s top men’s and women’s crews part ways this weekend, going to championship regattas on either coast. The Falcon women’s varsity eight is bound for the NCAA Division II West Regional, held in conjunction with the Pacific Coast Championships, Saturday (May 13) in Rancho Cordova, Calif. Meanwhile, the men’s varsity four wraps-up the season by going Worcester, Mass., for Sunday’s (May 14) ECAC National Invitational Championships.

All or nada. Seattle Pacific will likely need to win the women’s PCRC title to warrant consideration for an at-large berth for its eight in the NCAA Division II Championships, and that’s a mighty tall order. Defending national champion Western Washington, UC San Diego and Humboldt State comprise the four-boat field and SPU is the No. 4 seed. The Vikings have finished 41 and 34 seconds ahead of the Falcons in their two meetings last month, and UCSD was 16 seconds faster in their only meeting. The NCAA Championships are May 26-28 in West Windsor, New Jersey. Currently, Western is the frontrunner for the West Region’s automatic team berth, ahead of UCSD.

Motherlode. Mothers Day has been a delight for SPU crews the past half-dozen years, and Coach Keith Jefferson hopes for more of the same this time around. The men’s four is considered a top contender for the ECAC national prize, earning a No. 3 seed. That’s based on the Falcons’ relatively fast times in their conference and regional outings. Seattle Pacific placed fourth and fifth in those races after going unbeaten in the first three outings. Their qualifying heat at Lake Quinsigamond will feature Connecticut College, North Carolina, Vassar, Mary Washington and Middlebury. The top three finishers advance to the grand final later Sunday afternoon. Going back to 2000, the SPU women have won a total of five national titles in fours and pairs on Mothers Day. The men’s program is seeking its first championship in a national varsity event.

Opening Day recap. In their final local appearance of the rowing season, the women’s and men’s varsity four crews finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in their Opening Day races through the Montlake Cut last week. Racing together for just the second time this season, Seattle Pacific was nearly a full minute behind the winning UW ‘A’ boat in the women’s race. That crew was comprised of the stern lineup of the varsity eight. The Falcon men stayed within range of the Huskies’ third boat. They managed a little more than a boat-length in front of some ex-collegians in the Lake Union Crew.

Women’s lineups.

Varsity 8: Stroke–Alicia Apple (Sr., Sequim, Wa.); 7–Megan Sweeney (Sr., Wilsonville, Or); 6–Rachel Savage (Fr., Encinitas, Ca./San Dieguito); 5–Katie Wolff (So., Bridgewater, Vt./Mid Vermont Christian); 4–Kimberly Leinstock (So., Lake Mills, Wi./A Beka Acad.); 3–Rachel Ward (Jr., Grants Pass, Or./New Hope); 2–Rebecca Snow (Jr., Shoreline, Wa./King’s); bow–Katie Wilner (Fr., Everett, Wa./Everett); coxswain–Megan Giske (Sr., Gig Harbor, Wa./Gig Harbor)

Men’s lineups.

Varsity 4: Stroke–Jeremy Bryant (Jr., Gig Harbor, Wa./Gig Harbor); 3–John Chevigny (Jr., Seattle, Wa../Roosevelt); 2–Jonathan Dyk (So., Silverdale, Wa./Olympic); bow–Ben Zupke (Jr., Lynden, Wa./Lynden); coxswain–Jeney Wierman (Jr., Walla Wall, Wa./Walla Wall)

Opening Day Results.

Women’s Varsity 4: 1-Washington 7:50.38. 2-Lake Washington RC 8:07.63. 3-Western Washington 8:13.38. 4-Seattle Pacific 8:44.00
Men’s Varsity 4: 1-Washington “A” 6:48.59. 2-Washington “B” 6:55.02. 3-Gonzaga 6:56.38. 4-Washington “C” 7:07.02. 5-Seattle Pacific 7:16.61. 6-Lake Union Crew

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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