April 7, 2003
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State women's rowing team competed at the 30th annual San Diego Crew Classic over the weekend. SDSU was one of more than 100 teams that participated in the regatta held at Mission Bay.
The Aztec varsity eight raced in the prestigious Jessop-Whittier Cup, competing against some of the top schools in the nation. SDSU, whose varsity eight has only one senior in the nine-seat shell, finished 14th in a field in which every team was ranked at least once last year in the national coaches poll, including defending national champion Washington. California won the Cup in a photo-finish victory over the Huskies, who had won the contest 11 out of the last 13 years.
"This year's race had the most talented and deep collegiate field that women's rowing has ever seen. I would not be surprised to see practically an instant replay of the same schools who raced in the Jessop-Whittier Cup in the NCAA championships at the end of May," said SDSU head coach Scott Steckel. "We were invited to participate in a race of this magnitude and jumped at the chance. Although we would have liked to have been more competitive, we will not hide from racing the very best teams in the country. We were less experienced than every other crew out there, but we are learning."
The women's junior varsity eight also faced stiff competition in a field of 21 entries. The Aztecs placed second in the third-level final, behind Duke and UCLA. The novice eight failed to qualify for the finals after a poor start put them behind for good. The defeat brings an end to the novice eight's season-long unbeaten streak, which dates back to the fall of 2002.
The Aztecs lightweight eight, ranked 10th in the nation last week in the USRowing Collegiate Coaches preseason poll, progressed to the grand final of the A.W. Coggeshall Cup. SDSU was bested by No. 2 Wisconsin, No. 5 Villanova, No. 3 Stanford and No. 6 Georgetown, but pushed past California for a fifth-place finish.
"I think this will most likely move us up in the polls, but more importantly it gives these athletes two high-quality races to add to their experience level," Steckel said.
Crew will compete in the Miller Cup regatta, hosted by UCLA, on Saturday, April 12 beginning at 7 a.m. in Marina Del Rey, Calif. The defending Miller Cup champion Aztecs will take on teams from UCLA, San Diego, Loyola Marymount, UC Irvine and Orange Coast College.